Notre-Dame de Paris Roof Fire (2019)

On 15 April 2019, a fire broke out in the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris at about 18:18 local time. Within hours it destroyed the cathedral's medieval timber roof and its 19th-century spire, and brought down part of the stone vaults. The reconstruction that followed became one of the most closely watched roofing projects in history.

The medieval roof

The cathedral's roof framing was made largely of 13th-century oak, so dense with timbers that it was nicknamed the "forest". It was sheathed in lead; the roof and spire together carried more than 400 tonnes of lead. The original 13th-century spire (flèche), probably built around 1220-1230, was removed in 1786. In the 19th century the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc recreated it as an oak structure covered in lead; the whole flèche weighed about 750 tonnes.

The fire

The fire destroyed the flèche and the oak beams that supported the lead roof.

Rebuilding decisions

A national debate followed over whether to rebuild the roof in modern materials such as steel, titanium or concrete, or as it was. A Senate amendment requiring identical restoration was rejected by the National Assembly, and the July 2019 law left the spire's form open. In the end the roof and spire were rebuilt largely in their original form and materials: oak timber sheathed in lead.

Timber

From February 2021, about 1,000 mature oaks were selected from French forests. Each was 50-90 cm (20-35 in) in diameter, 8-14 m (26-46 ft) tall and several hundred years old. The cut timber had to dry for 12-18 months. Wood and stone were sourced from regions used in the original construction, and the felled trees were to be replaced by new planting.

Completion

The new flèche was put in place on 16 December 2023, topped by a gilded cockerel designed by architect Philippe Villeneuve. Notre-Dame reopened on 7 December 2024, while work on the surroundings continued into 2025-2028.

Funding

Pledges exceeded €1 billion within a week. By September 2021 more than 320,000 donors had given over €840 million.