Out of the Ashes: The Comeback of Notre Dame

One of the world's great landmarks, Notre Dame Cathedral, nearly destroyed by fire. After an unprecedented five-year restoration, today rising again into the Paris skyline and reopening its doors to the world. This is Out of the Ashes, the comeback of Notre Dame. Welcome to our show. I'm Kelly Kobieya outside Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris. This celebrated Gothic cathedral has stood here for nearly 900 years, standing out even among famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. But in April of 2019, the City of Light went through one of its darkest nights when fire engulfed the cathedral roof. It caused serious damage. But a dedicated team has worked for more than five years to bring the cathedral back to its former glory and welcome the millions of tourists and faithful once again. April 15, 2019, a day Paris will never forget. It's Holy Monday, the start of Easter week. In the middle of rush hour, around 6.20 p.m., smoke is billowing into the skies of Paris. One of the most sacred places in Christianity is on fire. Flames ripping through the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral. Parisians look on in stunned silence as one of the most treasured landmarks of the city, a symbol for all of France, burns. I was called at 6.30, the cathedral is burning and so I rushed back and there was this big smoke, fire. I could see all the smoke and the flames on the spire. Well, it's a shock when such a thing happened to the cathedral, which is really the heart of Paris. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is completely engulfed. The eyes of the world fixated as the flames shoot into the air. Less than 90 minutes after the fire started, the unthinkable happens. Oh my God, the people just fell inside the church. Oh my God. Notre Dame's lead-covered wooden spire collapses, soon followed by the medieval oak-timbered roof known as the forest, now a tinderbox. I think we will all remember this night. I was thinking that maybe it was the end of Notre Dame. The flames race toward the wooden belfry of the North Tower and its gigantic bells. There was a very critical moment. The roof had disappeared, the spire had collapsed and the fire began to touch the wooden belfry of the North Tower. This was very dangerous. If the fire isn't stopped, the bells will fall, then the towers, Notre Dame's famous facade, could collapse like a house of cards. 500 firefighters, having trained for this very moment, now face the terrible reality, struggling to douse the flames, risking their lives to save precious relics and priceless artifacts. Scaling the North Tower's narrow spiral stairs to stop the flames, a crucial turning point in the battle to save the cathedral. The fire burns into the night, creating gaping holes in the roof, collapsing the north arm of the transept's stone vault. The spire, the iconic iron cross, the intricate lead roof, all gone. I can't believe I'm really so sad. I feel like Paris is all, Paris is crying now, not just me. Paris is in mourning. In the streets, a spontaneous tribute. By early Tuesday, the fire is out. Notre Dame is still standing, its stone walls held, but it's dangerously unstable. And inside, poisonous melted lead and lead dust contaminate the entire space, with fire, smoke, and water damage throughout. There's no roof, and we saw really the sky in the cathedral, so it was shocking. It was really shocking. President Macron vows to rebuild Notre Dame more beautiful than before, and in only five years. The clock is ticking on one of the most ambitious renovations the world has ever seen. Ordinary people coming together to carry out an extraordinary mission, rebuilding Notre Dame. We call it La Reine des Cathédrales, the Queen of And it's a symbol also, like a symbol of France. This is a history itself. A history that goes back to 1163, when the first stone was laid. For centuries, Notre Dame has stood in the Ile de la Cité, surviving the French Revolution, the setting for Napoleon's coronation in 1804, and for Victor Hugo's legendary novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Occupied by the Nazis in World War II, and liberated in 1944. The great cathedral of Notre Dame, as the French armored division moves to complete the liberation of Paris. Parisians celebrating shoulder to shoulder with allied troops. This symbol of faith and resilience, now facing the biggest threat to its existence in nearly 900 years. Miraculously, the altar and the 14th century Virgin Mary statue have survived, surrounded by debris. The cathedral's other priceless relics also saved, some 2,000 years old. Rescuers rushing to save the tunic of Saint Louis, a nail and a piece of wood said to be from Christ's cross, as well as the crown of thorns. Amazingly, the 8,000 pipe organ appears to be spared as well. With an unprecedented mandate of five years to build back a wonder of the world, people like Michel Picot get to work. There were 200 companies working on the project and 140 or 150 contracts. And effectively, the management team had to, I would say, call on skills which were a little bit dispersed, a little bit everywhere. A team is assembled, led by retired five-star French general Jean-Louis Georges Lame. You know, I am a soldier. My eyes, my brain is riveted on 2024. I apply in my job here, what I learned in my military job. It's a battle, yes. I battle every hour. Putting a military leader in charge of such a daunting cultural project causes some growing pains at the start. He managed this project in a very military way. Relationship with him in the beginning was difficult. Afterward, it was much easier. The general keeping a close eye on progress at all times. Before the fire, Notre Dame was undergoing its first restoration since the 1800s. Scaffolding surrounded the roof and spire. Now, it's lying in a heap on the cathedral floor, a giant tangle of burned metal mixed with charred wood and toxic lead dust. The conditions inside the cathedral are hazardous and physically demanding. Only a small number of workers are allowed in at a time, like Stéphanie Duchesne, covered head to toe in protective gear. As chief archaeologist for the Ministry of Culture, she and her team are charged with recovering what they can while staying safe. There's a danger the walls could collapse. The walls were monitored by laser to see if they were moving. And the first day I came in, it was moving too much. They were moving too much and we were asked to get out the cathedral. We ran very fast. You ran. Robots are sent in where it's too risky for people. The robot took the remnants from under the walls of the vault that we were not authorized to go to take the remnants directly because it was very dangerous. So the robot took the remnants and take back to us where we were in a safe place of the cathedral. And we had to sort the remnants on the table and then set aside what was noteworthy. For more than two years, experts reinforced the delicate buttresses, strengthening the walls, removing the massive charred oak beams, at times hanging hundreds of feet in the air, covering the roof and building the maze of scaffolding to allow workers to reach the vast heights of the cathedral. The team's the best of the best, not only from France, but around the world. Nearly 2,000 artisans and craftspeople, including carpenters and stonemasons, glassmakers and metalworkers, and art restoration experts, answer the call to action. The biggest challenge, recreating the mammoth oak framed roof. The original was built in the 13th century, roughly 300 feet long and 30 feet high, almost as long and wide as a football field and nearly as high as the goalposts, made of 13,000 oak beams. 2,000 oak trees are felled, about half donated by landowners from across France. And at workshops, carpenters use ancient tools and techniques to create a new roof. It's the way it was done in the medieval times. Among them, Peter Henriksen, a carpenter from Minnesota, who is here to lend his skills through a non-profit organization. Being a part of this is really amazing. Thinking about what carpenters were thinking about when they were originally doing it. Hank Silver is from New England. In the U.S., we have a built tradition that's much newer, but that is derived from these European methods. So this is, for someone like me who builds this way, being able to work on this building, which is the birth of this technique, is particularly meaningful. As carpenters here, we've had to do things that the original carpenters never did. We've had to recreate all these inconsistencies, all these deformations that have accrued over the centuries. Inside the cathedral, the massive task of cleaning smoke damage and centuries of soot is well underway. This is what it looks like when art restoration expert Felicia Lamprecht first starts her work. So it was very physical work at the beginning, because we had to protect ourselves from lead problem, and also it was very, very long, long process. And it took the most of it. It was really very dirty, we can say, the wall. We came to clean and show the beauty of this work. It takes her and the rest of the team four years to bring these murals back to life. It was a possibility to really learn a lot and see this cathedral become beautiful again. It was extraordinary. While the three famed rose windows escape the worst fate, much of Notre Dame's intricate stained glass needs work and is delicately removed, cleaned and reinstalled. The cathedral's grand organ, possibly the most famous instrument of its kind in the world. It's 8,000 pipes contaminated by lead dust. The massive instrument is completely dismantled and decontaminated. I will be moved in 2024 when I will hear again the fantastic organ of the cathedral, one of the most powerful, not only in France, in Europe, but in the entire universe. The cathedral's massive bells, some weighing over 8,000 pounds, lifted out of the towers, cleaned and retuned. Even Notre Dame's most recognizable stone faces, crumbling before the fire, are in need of rescue. Stone masons cleaning, in some cases, re-sculpting the original limestone. I came for the ornamental sculpture, which are the plants, the flowers and the leaves, all on the cornices. Philippe Giraud, a stone worker, spends long hours hand carving stone. It was difficult sometimes. We didn't know if it would be accepted by the architect. Sometimes the architect came and said, oh no, you have to change it. So it was a bit stressing. All of the teams referencing back to the original drawings of Notre Dame's last major restoration, back in 1859, when architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc designed that iconic spire. But how do you recreate the most prominent feature lost in the fire? This 86,000 square foot warehouse in northeastern France was built just for that purpose. And nearly four years after the fire, the first layer of this spire's base is nearly done. The base layer, known as the trestle, measures 65 feet by 65 feet, almost 20 feet tall. It will bear the weight of the next three layers. By the summer of 2023, a magical moment for Paris and the world. Notre Dame's massive oak trusses are lifted into place. Just as the cathedral is taking shape, and with one more year to meet the deadline, tragedy strikes. The general overseeing this historic restoration suddenly dies. The men and women working tirelessly to bring Notre Dame back from the ashes have lost their leader. The restoration has brought together people from different worlds, working together on a common goal with an unprecedented timeline. When President Macron said, we're rebuilding and it's going to be done in five years, what did you think? It was very challenging because we are used to working on historical monuments and we know how long it can take. I was really sceptic when they announced this limited time of work. So everybody was sceptic. Georges Allende's strict military approach ensured expectations and deadlines were met. He was a tough guy. He was a general. So I would say in the management of a civil project like this one, sometimes it was a little bit disturbing. But on the other hand, I would say he was able to set targets and it motivated people to effectively reach the targets. He regularly ruffles feathers. I do my best to win. The reason why I have no room for emotion at all. The reputation of France is at stake. But with a direct line to President Macron, he also gets things done. In August of 2023, with a project on track and on time, a sudden devastating setback. Georges Allende is found dead after going on a solo hike in the Pyrenees, a tragic accident. The man who has become known as the general of the cathedral is given a state funeral. The team at Notre Dame is in shock. The restoration is at a critical step. The spire not yet complete. When the general's deputy, Philippe Jost, steps in, promising to fulfill Georges Allende's legacy, the team, inspired, pushes on toward the next big milestone. By winter 2023, the roof is nearly complete. And under all of that scaffolding, a new spire is rising. Topped with a new golden rooster weather vane, containing holy relics, pieces of what is said to be the crown of thorns. And just underneath, a special memorial for General Georges Allende on the spire, President Macron helping to engrave his name. The scaffolding starts to come down, the spire visible again. Weeks before Paris is said to host the Summer Olympics, a new iron cross tops the transept. The last of the lead tiles are tapped into place, where the base of the spire, a thousand pieces of wood, carefully put together at 1500 points of contact, all delicately balanced on top of the transept. The new forest, those massive oak trusses supporting it all, is complete. In front of me is the square, behind me the spire, the golden rooster, and the cross is up. Notre Dame really is coming back to life. The cathedral is returning to its former glory, with one modern touch, a sprinkler system and firewalls. For the people who've given the last five years of their lives, a labor of love is coming to an end. Friendships which grew up during this long, long period of working together, and that was extraordinary. Well, it's an experience I will never, never forget. Due to the very short time we had to rebuild and to reopen the cathedral, we have to work all together. Which gives Stéphanie Duchesne an idea, to come together for one last ensemble act in a choir of 80 artisans and craftspeople. To show to people that we are a group of very different people, that we are all singing together in harmony to celebrate the reopening. Planning to perform in public for the first time inside a reopened Notre Dame. For American carpenter Hank Silver, working on Notre Dame became more than just a job. It changed his life. When you see all of the tradespeople that are assembled here, it's an unbelievable thing to witness. It's a once-in-a-millennium experience, and being able to see the site as it develops has been fascinating. Once you've been through this type of experience with a crew of people, you're sort of a family for life after that. Hank learned French, applied for citizenship, and now plans to stay in France. This select few have been an intricate part of Notre Dame's rebirth. Notre Dame, since a few years, it's Notre Dame only for the workers, and now we can share it with the whole world. Five years of work almost complete. Ready to reveal the view from inside. With the official opening just days away, workers are putting the finishing touches on the area outside Notre Dame's famous facade. Soon the perimeter walls and barbed wire will come down, and the grand entrance will welcome visitors once again. But it's inside the cathedral where the real revelation awaits. It's very impressive, and I think when people will reenter the cathedral, they will be certainly very much impressed by the brightness of the cathedral, and it will be completely different from when it was before. Only the artisans and select officials know how far she's come over the years. She was there with this beautiful white stone, and now we can see it. It's been a monumental effort to rebuild. Over $900 million raised. More restoration work still needs to be done, especially on Notre Dame's exterior. But for now, the countdown to reopening is on. The bells restored, returned, and ringing again. New vestments for the priests, ready to be worn in the first public mass, and a candlelight procession returning the original 14th century statue of Virgin Mary and Child to its rightful place. But then, one week before the official reopening, the world gets its first glimpse as President Macron presides over the final inspection, touring the nave with its bright white walls, not seen this way in generations, seeing the new forest and base of the spire, witnessing how far every detail of the restoration has come, the cleaned murals, sparkling stained glass, and refurbished organ. Notre Dame indeed looking even more beautiful than before with a new home for relics like the crown of thorns and modern additions like the new altar. In an exciting moment, over a thousand artisans, craftspeople, and other workers are ushered inside and given a presidential thank you for their efforts. When I happen to talk about Notre Dame, people have stars in the eyes. You know, this goes beyond the Catholic Church. This is part of everybody. For those who gave so much personally and professionally, it's the end of an era. It was difficult sometimes, but at the end, we are very, very happy and proud that you have done this work. We get emotional because we see how it's changed in front of our eyes. It always feels like part of us is there. We will look back to what we've done and what we felt working on Notre Dame and it will be the end. Emotional. Five years of your life. Sure, that's a long time. Yeah, it's a long time and it's a very special work. But the start of a beautiful new chapter in this iconic cathedral's storied history.