Macron proposes Notre Dame restoration plan

Following Monday’s fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron told the country on Tuesday that he wants to rebuild the iconic structure in five years. He said restoration of the 19th-century spire, vaulting, and two-thirds of the building’s roof would be done in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The government plans to hold an international architecture competition to redesign a spire to replace the one destroyed in the blaze.

Individuals and corporations have pledged nearly $1 billion toward the restoration, but experts have said Macron’s timeline is unrealistic. Prominent French conservation architect Pierluigi Pericolo told Les Inrocks magazine the project would take “no less than 15 years.”

The cathedral’s twin medieval bell towers and many of the artifacts stored inside were spared from the fire. Officials said a frantic rescue effort saved the cathedral’s “most precious treasures.” Many of the artifacts were blackened or burned and will require painstaking restoration. Parisian firefighters said the famous stained-glass rose windows were in good shape but their support structures were at risk.