Notre-Dame: The restoration of the heart of France – and the miraculous rescue of the Crown of Thorns
It wasn’t just Notre-Dame Cathedral that burned, it was the very heart of France, they say.
Parisians wept as they watched the catastrophe unfold, fearing for the lives of worshippers – and the survival of one of the most holy relics in the world.
Firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the blaze and save as much of the iconic building as they could, even as they contended with molten lead and billowing smoke.
Miraculously, no one died in the fire and the Crown of Thorns relic – whose exact location inside Notre-Dame was a secret known only to a few – was found and carried to safety.
Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire. Pic: Reuters
On the evening of 15 April 2019, a pinnacle of human achievement went up in flames. The restoration of the cathedral in just five years is yet another testament to the skills of master craftsmen, and the generosity of those who donated to the project.
“Those pictures are still harrowing and the moving footage of the disaster still breaks my heart,” says Dr Emily Guerry, a tutor in medieval history at the University of Oxford.
“It has a place in lots of people’s hearts,” she says. “It’s a place where thousands and maybe millions have found succour over the years, both as a real place they visited and as an idea that they’ve explored through literature.”
Flames and smoke rise from Notre-Dame. Pic: AP
The altar of Notre-Dame following the fire. Pic: Reuters
President Emmanuel Macron decreed that instead of decades, the cathedral would be restored in just five years. An extraordinarily complex project had been made even harder by a deadline.
Not only was so much lost, but melting lead had sent plumes of lead dust into the air, covering much of the site in toxic dust. The clean-up required to make the cathedral safe would be considerable.
But as chief architect Philippe Villeneuve looked at the wreckage, he felt a flash of hope.
“All the stained-glass windows were spared, the great organ, the furniture, the paintings – everything was intact,” he realised. “It was doable.”
Miraculously, the stained glass windows survived the fire. Pic: AP
But it wasn’t just furnishings and features that were saved by firefighters – an extraordinary rescue mission salvaged the holy Crown of Thorns relic from the flames.
Dr Guerry, an expert on both Gothic architecture (of which Notre-Dame is the defining example) and medieval relics, says the Crown is “beyond value”.
Many Christians believe it is the same crown that the Bible says was placed on Jesus’s head before the crucifixion.
The holy Crown of Thorns relic was rescued from the blaze. Pic: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the cathedral last month. Pic: Reuters
“It’s not just locked in the treasury, it’s kept in a very secret place that I think only one or two people know about,” she tells Sky News.
“So when the fire brigade was trying to evacuate the relics, they got everything out but the Crown of Thorns, because they couldn’t find it.”
One firefighter inadvertently grabbed a decoy copy of the crown before going back in through the ash clouds and found the relic, under directions from an official who knew where it was.
Read more:
First glimpse inside restored Notre-Dame
Photos show Notre-Dame restoration work
Diplomatic opportunities at cathedral reopening
The restored nave of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Pic: Reuters
Now, after five years, the cathedral is restored and ready for visitors. And some see it as better than ever.
“It’s horrible to say [of the fire], but every cloud has a silver lining,” Mr Villeneuve says, smiling. “The stone is luminous now. It almost glows.”
The painstaking process of scrubbing every surface free of lead dust exposed a brightness not seen for centuries.
“I’m excited to be sort of transported in time by being inside Notre-Dame,” Dr Guerry says, looking forward to her visit later this month. “It’s like walking back into the 12th century.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
First look at restored Notre-Dame
Indeed, as he walked through the medieval wooden beams of the reconstructed framework – so complicated it is known as the “forest” – Mr Villeneuve remarked he felt the work was so seamless the inferno might never have happened.
“If I can make [cathedral visitors] doubt there was ever a fire, then I’ve erased the horror,” he says.
Notre-Dame officially reopens this weekend, with public access from Sunday. Such is the demand that visitors are recommended to book timeslots online on the cathedral’s website.
World
Eurostar passengers ‘trapped for hours’ in Channel Tunnel after train breaks down between London and Paris
South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo.
The move could deepen a constitutional crisis triggered by a short-lived period of martial law declared by Mr Han’s predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.
After the vote on Friday, Mr Han said he will step aside to avoid more chaos.
The opposition brought impeachment proceedings against him over his refusal to immediately fill three places on South Korea’s Constitutional Court – where the former president is on trial.
Three justices had been approved by parliament – where the opposition Democratic Party has a majority – but Mr Han said he would not formally appoint them without bipartisan agreement.
South Korea’s constitution says that six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must agree to remove an impeached president, meaning the current justices must vote unanimously to remove Mr Yoon.
The court has said it can deliberate without the full nine-member bench.
Leader of the opposition Lee Jae-myung had vowed to go ahead with the impeachment, accusing Mr Han of “acting for insurrection”.
A man waves a South Korean flag at an anti-Yoon Suk Yeol protest. Pic: AP
Read more from Sky News:
Finland boards Russian-linked oil tanker
2024 in pictures
Now that Mr Han – who is also prime minister – has been impeached, his finance minister Choi Sang-mok is set to take over as acting president.
Politicians in the 300 parliament voted 192-0 to impeach him. Governing party politicians boycotted the vote.
Following the vote, Mr Han said he would respect the decision and will await a ruling from the Constitutional Court on the impeachment motion.
Mr Han will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him – the same as with Mr Yoon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would be open to peace talks with Ukraine in Slovakia “if it comes to that”.
Mr Putin said Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who this week visited the Kremlin, had offered his country as a location for negotiations as the war in Ukraine nears the three-year mark.
The Russian president said the Slovakian authorities “would be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations”.
“We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position,” Mr Putin said, adding he was resolved to end the conflict in Ukraine, which started with a land, air and sea invasion of Russia’s smaller neighbour in February 2022.
Follow the latest updates on the war in Ukraine
Ukraine is yet to comment on Slovakia’s offer but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly criticised the country, which borders Ukraine, for the friendly tone Mr Fico has struck towards Russia since his return to power after an election in 2023.
Mr Fico has been critical of EU support for Ukraine, where millions have been displaced since Mr Putin’s decision to launch a “special military operation” to “denazify” and “demilitarise” the 37 million-strong country.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Mr Zelenskyy on North Korea and Slovakian PM in Moscow
Mr Putin has repeatedly said Russia is open to talks to end the conflict with Kyiv, but that it would nevertheless achieve its goals in Ukraine.
He has previously demanded Ukraine withdraw its bid to join NATO and asked it to recognise Russia’s gains. Both Kyiv and the West have rejected those demands.
Read more from Sky News:
Boxing Day tsunami ‘impossible to forget’ – Watch
Farage willing to help Mandelson negotiate with Trump
But while Mr Zelenskyy had for most of the conflict insisted Ukraine would keep fighting until it regained control of its territories, his position on negotiations now appears to have shifted.
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Zelenskyy suggested a ceasefire deal could be struck if the Ukrainian territory he controls could be taken “under the NATO umbrella”.
This would then allow him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way”.
The Ukrainian leader admitted last week his forces would be unable to recapture any territories occupied by Russia in the east of Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula.
While Kyiv would never recognise Russia’s rule, he said diplomacy is the only option to get Mr Putin to withdraw his army.
The war in Ukraine has taken a devastating toll on Russia too. UK government and military analysis estimates that Russia has lost around half a million troops killed or wounded in Ukraine.
Such is the pressure on manpower that The Kremlin turned to one of its remaining allies, North Korea, to provide additional forces.
It’s thought 10,000 to 12,000 troops were sent in October to fight alongside the Russian military in the fighting in the Kursk region.
However it’s suggested their lack of combat experience has resulted in heavy losses, with Mr Zelenskyy saying earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have already been killed and wounded.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway