The French government swore to rebuild the Notre Dame church after a fire severely damaged it on Monday. According to initial assessments, the fire had extensively damaged the roof and interior. The iconic spear also burnt away. Donations are pouring in from all over the world to assist in the reconstruction process.
1 Billion Dollars Raised to Rebuild Notre Dame Church
Ever since the French president put a call out to raise funds to rebuild the church people from all over the world have pitched in to do their part. France’s wealthy citizens were the first one to pledge a hefty donation to rebuild the church. Francois Pinault, the billionaire CEO of Kering group while talking to the media, pledged to donate 100 million euros ($113m) for repairs.
His rival CEO of LVMH conglomerate Pierre Arnault pledged 200 million euros ($226m). Various companies like Energy Firm Total pledged 100 million euros ($113 million), the cosmetic company L’Oreal and the Bettencourt family pledged 200 million euros ($226m). Other families vowed to pledge $20 million
The city government of Paris pledged 50 million euros while the regional government pledged 10 million euros towards the construction efforts. Apple has also pledged to donate. The total donation collected equated to $1 billion.
Offers of Practical Assistance from EU Countries
Many countries from around the world and Europe have offered practical assistance in restoring the Notre Dame Church. The Polish president Andrzej Duda offered the services of its famed reconstruction experts who raised destroyed buildings during World War II in Warsaw.
York Glaziers Trust in Britain offered the services of its restoration experts who repaired the windows of York Minster cathedral after it got damaged by a fire in 1984.
Experts’ Views on the Reconstructing Notre Dame Church
According to experts, the reconstruction process is not as easy as it may seem. A structure like the Notre Dame Church is stone based, and they are built to last long. The problem with such structure is that if their stone base gets damaged, it becomes challenging to repair them.
Repairing structures with wooden bases or other bases are easy as it requires less technique and labor. In stone structure, the stone base is at the very core of the structure, and it greatly influences the shape of the structure. So it is a whole different ball game when that happens.
Heavy machinery can’t be used as it may weaken or damage the base so only manual labor can be used. So it may take years to rebuild the cathedral.
Other hurdles being faced is the absence of a detailed map of the cathedral, but according to media sources Ubisoft gaming company may be able to provide the necessary blueprints needed as it 3-D scanned the cathedral to feature in one of its games called assassin creeds unity helping in the restoration process.
