Heaven on Earth: Notre-Dame de Paris & Notre-Dame de la Nativité

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by Marla Norman & Michel Thibault
photos by Marla Norman unless otherwise noted

On April 15, 2019, the world watched in horror as flames engulfed Paris’ beloved Notre-Dame cathedral. Firefighters battled heroically, but in spite of their efforts the iconic 315-foot spire collapsed, bringing down some 750 tons of stone and lead that shattered the church’s interior. Miraculously, no one was harmed but firefighters were forced to exit and move to the towers. There, they worked to save exterior walls, the 54 Chimères and the cathedral’s 10 bells –weighing between 2,000 lbs to 13 tons. Just after midnight, some seven hours later, over 500 firefighters finally had the blaze under control. The destruction was extensive and appalling, but the cathedral was still standing.

An international outpouring of grief followed. One of the first to respond was François Pinault, owner of Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Château Latour to name a few of his acclaimed businesses. Pinault donated €100 million euros. Then Bernard Arnault, in partnership with his LVMH Group (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) donated €200 hundred million.

The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, funded by the L’Oréal family, matched the LVMH donation with another €200 million and French energy company Total committed €100 million as well. Shortly after, Fondation de France was set up to receive funding. Within days, over 340,000 donors from 150 different countries had contributed €800 million ($930,000,000).

In the early 1800’s, French author Victor Hugo noted the universal appeal of Notre-Dame de Paris, commenting: “Each face, each stone of this venerable monument is…a work of time belonging to all.” At that time, Notre-Dame was again at risk. Constructed in 1163, and the victim of numerous conflicts including the French Revolution, the church was in such a state of disrepair that Paris officials considered razing it altogether.

To create public awareness and save the cathedral, Hugo published “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.” His campaign was hugely successful and in 1844, famed architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was appointed to rebuild the cathedral. In 2019, the world responded once more to save Notre-Dame.

Coincidentally, Michel & I were in Paris just a few days after the Notre-Dame fire. Our video shows the exterior damage and collapsed spire. Local residents and visitors collected on the banks of the Seine to mourn the tragedy.

ASSESSING THE DAMAGE

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the damage was stark. Rain poured through a gaping hole in the transept. The cathedral framework was reduced to ashes. Referred to as the “Forest” because of the density of its timbers, this was one of the few medieval frameworks to have managed to survive unscathed for over eight hundred years — all gone now. And the spire, erected by Viollet-le-Duc in 1859, was destroyed as well. Within the church, the main altar and most of the furnishings were smashed.

But incredibly, a number of treasures survived. Significantly, the “Relics of Passion” attributed to the crucifixion of Christ were untouched. These include the Crown of Thorns, a fragment from the cross and a nail — acquired by King Louis IX in the 13th century. Also mostly undamaged were a priceless Pietà sculpture by Nicolas Coustou, a 14th century statue of the “Virgin of the Pillar” and an enormous 40-foot gold cross. Most remarkably, the cathedral organ — the largest in France, consisting of nearly 8,000 pipes and keyboards — was largely intact. After a final inventory, curators found that nearly all the cathedral’s works of art, including the stained glass windows had not been damaged, either by the fire or by the battle to extinguish it.

“Le Stryge” – one of the most beloved of the 54 Chimères, was undamaged after the fire. A year before the fire, we climbed the 424 stairs to the rooftop to meet these remarkable creatures, designed by Viollet-le-Duc for his 19th century restoration.

RECOVERY & REBIRTH

Over 2,000 craftspeople, artisans, architects and engineers labored for five years to restore Notre-Dame de Paris. That these teams were able to accomplish such a remarkable feat within this relatively short period of time is another wonder. Here is a brief overview of the timeline and essential tasks necessary to repair the cathedral:

Summer 2019 — Reconstruction plans to restore the cathedral to its pre-fire state are confirmed. One of the greatest challenges is to replace the spire designed by Viollet-le-Duc, considered as essential to the Paris skyline as the Eiffel Tower.

Summer 2020 — The COVID pandemic delays schedules, but charred scaffolding is removed and work to secure the structure is finally completed. Restoration of the 8,000-pipe organ begins.

Spring 2021 — 1,000 oak trees — all over two centuries old — are selected from the historic Bercé forest in the French Loire region to rebuild the spire. Quarries are identified to replace large portions of damaged stonewalls. The tedious and delicate job of cleaning and restoring wall murals is begun.

Spring 2022 — Master glassmakers from across France begin to clean and restore stained glass windows. The main reconstruction work begins, focusing on rebuilding the roof and iconic spire.

Spring 2023 — Work continues to rebuild the spire and roof. Large oak trusses are hoisted to rebuild the nave. Stonemasons and painters along with stained glass and ironwork specialists coordinate to clean and restore the cathedral’s interiors. The eight tower bells are removed for cleaning and repairs which include replacing the clappers.

In the spring of 2024, Michel & I watched a beautiful Parisian sunset behind the newly-installed cathedral spire. The rooftop bar at La Tour d’Argent provided the perfect vantage point accompanied by wine from the restaurant’s legendary cellars — quite a moment!

February 2024 — Scaffolding is removed to unveil the cathedral’s new spire adorned with the golden rooster (the national emblem of France) and cross — both miraculously saved from the previous spire.

March 2024 — The final trusses for the nave’s roof are installed. Artisans continue to restore murals within the cathedral. New lighting and sound systems are installed.

November 2024 — Three new bells are delivered and placed above the altar. New furniture is installed: altars, tabernacles and seating for 1500.

December 8, 2024 — The first Mass is celebrated and the cathedral officially reopens to the public.

If you’re planning a visit, be sure to schedule ahead. Reserve a time online through the official Notre-Dame de Paris website. A number of tours are available as well. CASA (Communautés d’Accueil dans les Sites Artistiques) is a volunteer organization that partners with Notre-Dame to provide free guided tours.

Over 6 million people have visited Notre-Dame since the reopening. We count ourselves fortunate to have been among the many to celebrate the rebirth of this spectacular cathedral — an experience that is something truly other-worldly.

CATHÉDRALE NOTRE-DAME DE LA NATIVITÉ

In the south of France, some 1,000 kilometers from Paris is France’s smallest ordained cathedral — Notre-Dame de la Nativité (Our Lady of the Nativity.) Only one cathedral in the world is tinier, that’s Nin in Croatia.

Located in the town of Vence in Provence, Notre-Dame de la Nativité was built in the 11th century and sits on the site of an earlier church and, before that, a Roman temple. As a testament to its Roman beginnings, the western façade of the building dates from the year 220.

Inside the church is the tomb of Saint Véran, once a popular destination for pilgrims and devotees of the saint, who is said to have saved Vence from destruction during a barbarian invasion. The church also holds a collection of widely admired 17th century polychrome wooden statues, but visitors nowadays are more likely to be drawn to Marc Chagall’s 1979 mosaic “Moïse sauvé des eaux” (Moses Saved by the Waters) which adorns the baptistry.

Chagall was born in Vitebsk, Russia in 1887 to a traditional Jewish family. His early life profoundly influenced his art which often included fiddlers and village scenes that celebrated Russian folklore. Chagall lived in France much of his life, eventually settling in Vence, where he lived until his death in 1985.

Deeply spiritual, Chagall painted numerous scenes from the Bible and the life of Christ. And although he was Jewish, Chagall created many works of art for Catholic churches. These include stained glass windows for Notre-Dame de Reims, Saint-Étienne de Metz, Chapelle des Cordeliers de Sarrebourg and Chapelle Sainte-Roseline des Arcs-sur-Argens. In 1979, he designed the exquisite mosaic for the Vence Notre-Dame de la Nativité. Chagall intended his biblical works to be for people of all faiths, as he said: “an ideal of brotherhood and love.”

Notre-Dame de la Nativité — France’s smallest cathedral, located in the village of Vence. So tiny, we struggled a bit to find it.

Our search was rewarded! We found the cathedral and Marc Chagall’s 1979 mosaic “Moïse sauvé des eaux” (Moses Saved by the Waters).

Marc Chagall in his Paris studio. Photo courtesy of Musée National Marc Chagall, Nice.

MATISSE & LA CHAPELLE DU ROSAIRE

Also in Vence is another small church featuring extraordinary art — Matisse’s La Chapelle du Rosaire. Unlike Chagall, Matisse wasn’t at all religious. He had however spent almost 40 years in Nice and Vence, where he was captivated by the Côte d’Azur landscape.

At age 72, Matisse was diagnosed with abdominal cancer. His recovery was slow and he was confined to a wheelchair. During his convalescence, one of his caretakers was a young nursing student, Monique Bourgeois. The two grew close as Matisse became a father figure for the young woman.

In 1944, Monique became a Dominican nun and convinced Matisse to design a chapel for her convent. From 1948 to 1951, Matisse worked tirelessly on the project. He created architectural plans, stained glass windows, sculptures, furniture and even church vestments. For Matisse the chapel became a kind of spiritual journey. As he worked day on end, he said: “I began with the profane and now, in the evening of my days, I am ending quite naturally with the divine.”

At the Chapelle du Rosaire, Matisse — who revolutionized the use of light and color in painting — has created a space unlike anything he produced before. He described the result as “taking a space and giving it, solely by the play of colors and lines, the dimensions of infinity….I see the chapel as my masterpiece — the result of a life devoted to seeking the truth.”

Matisse was 77 years old when he began designing the Chapelle du Rosaire and 82 when he completed the project. Photo courtesy of Musée Matisse, Nice.