A Divine Ambition
Notre Dame Cathedral has endured for more than eight centuries. Built to reflect the church’s spiritual reach, its audacious, towering walls and buttresses remain as much a marvel today as they were in the Middle Ages.
BY FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA,
TAYLOR MAGGIACOMO, ROSEMARY WARDLEY, EVE CONANT & PATRICIA HEALY
PUBLISHED JANUARY 18, 2022
Gargoyle 19th century
NOTRE DAME IN THE 14TH CENTURY
The cathedral was commissioned in 1163 by a landowning
clergy with power over much of Paris. By the 1300s, the city
had become France’s royal, judicial, and intellectual center.
2
2
3
3
4
4
FLYING BUTTRESS
ROSE WINDOW
CHOIR
1
1
ARCHBISHOP’S PALACE
NAVE
5
5
AISLE
1840s to ’60s, MAJOR RESTORATION
21ST-CENTURY LOSS
In 1831, The Hunchback of Notre Dame revived interest in the site. Renovations (in green) by architects Eugène- Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and his early partner, Jean-Baptiste Lassus, reflect their interpretations of medieval style.
Fire broke out under the roof of the cathedral on April 15, 2019, and burned for 15 hours. The roof and spire were lost, but firefighters saved the building
and precious relics.
4
4
1
1
The 28 colossal statues of biblical kings
were beheaded in the French Revolution and replaced in the 19th century.
Fearsome and whimsical, grotesques, or chimeras, are
19th-century additions.
5
5
2
2
Bells, encased in two towers, heralded
activities throughout the day.
Chapels between the 16-foot-deep buttresses were added after 1225.
The medieval spire, dismantled in the
1700s, was replaced with a taller
one in the 1800s.
3
3
MEDIEVAL ISLE
The Seine flows around a small island that once held a prison, a royal residence, and several churches.
Royal
Palace
Sainte-Chapelle
Île Saint-
Louis
Notre Dame
de Paris
Île de la Cité
Notre Dame
de Paris
Point of view
shown below
1,000 ft
250 m
GOTHIC GRANDEUR, 12TH CENTURY
Master masons design the cathedral, drawing on their expertise with stone and wood. It’s built on what’s considered to be sacred land of former sanctuaries.
Variations in construction methods suggest that the north and south walls are made by different teams of builders.
TRANSEPT
TREADWHEEL CRANE
COMPRESSION FORCES
Buttresses flank the building to stabilize the tall walls; they transfer forces outward and down, toward the ground.
FLIER
Intricately cut and painted windows depict seasonal and spiritual duties.
BUTTRESS
TEMPORARY WALL
The foundation contains stones repurposed from
fourth-to-12th-century churches on the site.
200 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION
1163-1182
1182-1220
1225-1350
Construction
begins with
the curved
choir walls.
Services are
held in the choir
as the transept
is being built.
The nave,
bell towers,
and spire are
finished.
AFTER THE 2019 FIRE
Experts evaluate and secure the structure.
Lasers scan for damage. Even the smallest
pieces of material are analyzed.
Rope technicians rappel
from a temporary platform,
removing damaged material.
TEMPORARY ROOF
Hazmat crews clear
toxic lead from surfaces,
dismantle warped
scaffolding, and
catalog fragments.
Custom-crafted wooden braces support stone buttresses and prevent them from pushing
walls inward.
Workers remotely control robots to collect charred
fragments from the ground.
SAFETY NET
All surfaces are vacuumed. A latex mask is applied and delicately peeled off, removing lead.
DAMAGED MATERIAL
ROBOT
FIVE-YEAR RESTORATION
2019-2020
2021-2024
2024
Scaffolding is
taken down by
hand to prevent
collapse.
Timber framing
for roof
and spire is installed.
Major work,
including roof
and vaults, is to
be complete.
A Faithful Restoration
Preservationists, architects, and other experts
spent nearly two years after the April 2019 fire
investigating the best methods to save the cathe-
dral. Modern machinery will assist, but traditional
methods, materials, and hand finishes will ensure
the result closely matches its previous state. Work
will begin with the spire, then move to the roof and
vaults, with the goal of completing the restoration
by 2024.
1
Sequence of the reconstruction
Roof origin
Medieval
19th century
Temporary roof
1
4
2
2
3
Collapsed area
New scaffolding provides support and creates platforms for skilled craftspeople to reach each level. A second, temporary roof will shield
the reconstruction.
PREPARING THE BEAMS
Medieval timbers in the nave and choir will be replaced with beams cut from individual, green oak logs and finished with hand axes. Beams for the 19th-century transept and spire will be cut at sawmills from dried logs.
Medieval
19th century
Reinforcing the vault
Vaults are supported by temporary wooden braces, individually measured to fit each space.
Stone
arch
Stone
vault
Wooden
brace
Platform
Scaffolding
A Divine Ambition
Notre Dame Cathedral has endured
for more than eight centuries. Built to
reflect the church’s spiritual reach, its
audacious, towering walls and but
tresses remain as much a marvel today
as they were in the Middle Ages.
BY FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA,
TAYLOR MAGGIACOMO,
ROSEMARY WARDLEY,
EVE CONANT & PATRICIA HEALY
PUBLISHED JANUARY 18, 2022
Gargoyle 19th century
NOTRE DAME IN THE 14TH CENTURY
The cathedral was commissioned in 1163 by a landowning clergy with power over much of Paris. By the 1300s, the city had become France’s royal, judicial, and intellectual center.
1840s to ’60s, MAJOR RESTORATION
In 1831, The Hunchback of Notre Dame revived interest in the site. Renovations (in green) by architects Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc
and his early partner, Jean-Baptiste Lassus, reflect their interpretations of medieval style.
Bells, encased in two towers, heralded activities throughout the day.
Fearsome and whimsical, grotesques,
or chimeras, are 19th-century
additions.
Bells, encased
in two towers,
heralded activi-
ties throughout
the day.
Fearsome and whim-
sical, grotesques,
or chimeras, are
19th-century
additions.
The 28 colossal statues of biblical kings were beheaded in the French Revolution and replaced in the 19th century.
21ST-CENTURY LOSS
Fire broke out under the roof of the cathedral on April 15, 2019, and burned
for 15 hours. The roof and spire were lost, but firefighters saved the building and precious relics.
The medieval spire, dismantled in the 1700s, was replaced with a taller one in the 1800s.
CHOIR
TRANSEPT
AISLE
NAVE
Chapels between the 16-foot-deep buttresses were added after 1225.
FLYING BUTTRESS
ROSE WINDOW
ARCHBISHOP’S PALACE
MEDIEVAL ISLE
The Seine flows around a small
island that once held a prison, a royal
residence, and several churches.
Royal
Palace
Sainte-Chapelle
Notre Dame
de Paris
Île Saint-
Louis
Île de la Cité
Notre Dame
de Paris
Point of view
shown below
1,000 ft
250 m
GOTHIC GRANDEUR, 12TH CENTURY
Master masons design the cathedral, drawing on their expertise with stone and wood. It’s built on what’s considered to be sacred land of former sanctuaries.
Variations in construction methods suggest that the north and south walls are made by different teams of builders.
TRANSEPT
TREADWHEEL CRANE
COMPRESSION FORCES
FLIER
1
1
BUTTRESS
2
2
3
3
TEMPORARY WALL
Buttresses flank the building to stabilize the tall walls; they transfer forces outward and down, toward the ground.
1
1
Intricately cut and painted windows depict seasonal and spiritual duties.
2
2
3
3
The foundation contains stones repurposed from fourth-to- 12th-century churches on the site.
200 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION
1163-1182
Construction begins with the curved
choir walls.
1182-1220
Services are held in the choir as the transept is being built.
1225-1350
The nave, bell towers, and spire are finished.
AFTER THE 2019 FIRE
Experts evaluate and secure the structure. Lasers scan for damage. Even the smallest pieces of material are analyzed.
Hazmat crews clear toxic lead from surfaces, dismantle warped scaffolding, and catalog fragments.
TEMPORARY ROOF
1
1
2
2
SAFETY NET
3
3
DAMAGED MATERIAL
ROBOT
4
4
Rope technicians rappel from a temporary platform, removing damaged material.
1
1
Custom-crafted wooden braces support stone buttresses and prevent them from pushing walls inward.
2
2
Workers remotely control robots to collect charred fragments from the ground.
3
3
All surfaces are vacuumed. A latex mask is applied and delicately peeled off, removing lead.
4
4
FIVE-YEAR RESTORATION
2019-2020
Scaffolding is taken down by hand to prevent collapse.
2021-2024
Timber framing for roof and spire is installed.
2024
Major work, including roof and vaults, is to be complete.
A Faithful Restoration
Preservationists, architects, and other experts spent nearly two years after the April 2019 fire investigating the best methods to save the cathedral. Modern machinery will assist, but traditional methods, materials, and hand finishes will ensure the result closely matches its previous state. Work will begin with the spire, then move to the roof and vaults, with the goal of completing the restoration by 2024.
1
Sequence of the reconstruction
Roof origin
Medieval
19th century
Temporary roof
1
4
2
2
3
Collapsed area
New scaffolding provides support and creates platforms for skilled craftspeople
to reach each level. A second, temporary roof will shield the reconstruction.
PREPARING THE BEAMS
Medieval timbers in the nave and
choir will be replaced with beams cut from individual, green oak logs and finished with hand axes. Beams for the 19th-century transept and spire will be cut at sawmills from dried logs.
Medieval
19th century
Reinforcing the vault
Vaults are supported by temporary wooden braces, individually measured
to fit each space.
Stone
arch
Stone
vault
Wooden
brace
Platform
Scaffolding
