The rebuilding of Notre Dame de Paris, part one

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The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, Our Lady of Paris, is one of France’s most famous landmarks. It has stood on the Île de la Cité in the very heart of France’s capital since the 12th century. On 15th April 2019, it was engulfed by flames, but thanks to the bravery of hundreds of firefighters, Notre Dame remained standing. The devastation was, however, immense. The spire collapsed into the nave and the lead roof melted and evaporated. The lattice framework underneath it, made of a thousand oak beams known affectionately as The Forest, turned to charcoal and dust. Agnès Poirier has been given unique access behind the scenes, and she’s been travelling around France, talking to some of the army of craftspeople from across the world, who have been painstakingly reconstructing and restoring Notre Dame to its former glory. In part one, she travels to the Loire to see the work of two American carpenters Jackson du Bois and Michael Burrey, representatives of the U.S. Handshouse Studio: Notre Dame Project, who are helping to rebuild the spire. Agnès then visits Normandy where the famous bells are being restored to speak to Paul Bergamo and also where the iconic ornate cross, the only element on the roof to survive the fire, is being repaired by Vincent Combes and his team . Finally she comes face to face with a gargoyle, one of the stone creatures protecting the cathedral and finds out how to redesign the perfect beast. Producer: Andrea Kidd (Image: Notre Dame. Credit: Chesnot)