Notre Dame Returns

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens to the public this Sunday, five-and-a-half years after it went up in flames. My goal for 2025: To see it in all its fresh and shiny glory, and light a few candles for the people I love most.

Here are a few interesting pieces about the restoration you might enjoy:

On the Roof of Notre-Dame, Before It Burned.

Ten Key Moments in the Colossal Five-Year Construction of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The People Who Helped Resurrect Notre Dame, about the specialized craftspeople who came in to help with things like stone carving and iron forging.

A Cathedral of Sound, about the effort to restore the cathedral's otherworldly acoustics after the fire.

Have you visited Notre Dame before? What are your memories of it? Hit reply and let me know!

Writing Prompt: A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place, but it can also involve other kinds of abject devotion and dorkery. For example, I'd like to go on a Duran Duran-related pilgrimage to Birmingham, England to take a selfie outside of 273 Broad Street. That address is formerly the site of the Rum Runner nightclub, which is where the band got their start, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with going there. So, if you could go on a pilgrimage anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Notre Dame by the Numbers

• 861 years since construction began on the cathedral in 1163
• 182 years to complete the original construction
• 5 1/2 years to complete the recent restoration
• $900 million in donations went toward the restoration
• 2,000 craftspeople worked on the project
• 330 square feet: the height of the cathedral's spire
• 45,900 square feet of limestone was used to restore the damaged walls and vaults
• 450,000 square feet of pre-existing limestone was cleaned
• 1,500 trees were used to build the lattice structure that supported the new roof
• 2,150 square feet of checkerboard marble was used to rebuild the liturgical platform, which weighs 110 tons.
• 8,000 organ pipes were moved to an undisclosed location where they were cleaned. When they were returned to the cathedral, they had to be tuned to the church's acoustic environment. That process took six months.
• 51 gargoyles and chimeras were cleaned and repaired after high pressure hoses used to extinguish the flames damaged them. An additional five gargoyles had to be recreated in fresh limestone.
• 21 paintings were saved from the fire and restored.
• 3 new bronze bells will replace those destroyed in the fire
• One new rooster was placed atop the new spire. Inside it are three relics, one of which is said to be a small piece of Christ's crown of thorns.
• 15 million visitors are expected to visit Notre Dame once it opens to the public again on December 8. I intend to be among the throngs.

Quote

For love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being, and continues to flourish over a heart in ruin.

-- Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Endnotes

What I'm listening to: The English Beat's "Special Beat Service." Originally distributed in 1982, the ska band's third album was re-released this past Friday for Record Store Day. It's chock full of fun and upbeat music that will bring you back to the days when you sat in the basement watching MTV and John Hughes films all day long. For extra credit, name at least one English Beat spinoff band, and your favorite song by them. For extra, extra credit, name the English Beat song from this album used in the "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" running scene. Answers to come next week, whether you reply or not.

What I'm re-reading: Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. Story aside, the way Hugo writes about the medieval cathedral itself, and architecture period, feels really timely. When French president Emmanuel Macron originally said the cathedral should be rebuilt with modern flourishes, people wanted no part of that, so he had to back down. Hugo would be proud of those who told Macron to quit with all his contemporary nonsense.

Where I hope you'll donate this week: Nearly 14 million children in the United States are missing meals, or facing daily uncertainty about food. No Kid Hungry works to make sure kids get three meals a day, through programs like school meals or tax credits for low income families. Please consider a donation of any amount (One $50 gift can provide 500 meals for one starving child) to make a big difference for a child this holiday season.