From Notre-Dame de Paris to Abu Simbel, the heritage of the past saved by mankind

It is perhaps one of the largest construction sites in Paris, alongside that of the Grand Paris Express (the new metro line that will connect the municipalities of the Île-de-France). But above all, it is the site that aims to revive one of the most iconic sites of the French capital. Since the night of April 15, 2019, when flames burned the roof and spire of the cathedral, damaging the internal vault and destroying numerous works of art, Notre-Dame de Paris has been fighting to be reborn.

Its construction site, imposing and operational day and night, is visible from many parts of the city and today represents one of the most ambitious challenges not just for Paris but the whole country. To dispel doubts about an imminent reopening, it was the French President Emmanuel Macron himself who, on May 26 during a state visit to Germany, officially reaffirmed that Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral will reopen to the public on December 8: «Everyone will be able to visit it – declared the French head of state – because Notre-Dame will be rebuilt.»

It took only a few hours to assess the damage caused by the terrible fire that struck the cathedral of Paris. The flames destroyed the spire, inaugurated in 1859, three very

important relics (a piece of the Crown of Thorns, a relic of St. Denis, and another of St. Genevieve), and “the forest,” the intricate oak beams created in 1220 by one of the oldest carpentry workshops in the city and considered one of the architectural jewels of the cathedral. Additionally, the grand organ, with its five keyboards and 8,000 pipes, and many of the stained glass windows were damaged.

 In recent years, efforts have focused on recovering this incredible artistic heritage. On average, over 1,000 people have worked on the cathedral’s site, some engaged in structural interventions, others in the restoration of precious objects like the Grand Organ. To do this, Établissement Public, the state agency in charge of managing the reconstruction, issued specific tenders based on needs, and so specialized architectural firms worked alongside archaeologists engaged in the recovery of the damaged works of art. A complex and highly risky team effort that has kept not only France but the entire world on tenterhooks, as always happens when works of art that are part of the world’s heritage are at risk.

The rescue of Notre-Dame de Paris, the cathedral symbolizing Christianity struck by a devastating fire, recalls the rescue of the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt. Different eras, different civilizations, yet even then (in 1960 when operations began under UNESCO’s guidance) the world’s attention was focused on the future of that heritage, which everyone considered vital for the survival of human history itself.

At that time, the Abu Simbel temples, built by Ramses II in the 13th century BC, were at risk of being submerged by the waters of the Nile following the construction of the Aswan Dam. To prevent that disaster, 113 countries and some of the best construction companies in the world intervened. Among these was the Webuild Group, which brought some of Italy’s best miners and marble workers to Egypt, tasked with the difficult job of dividing the two temples into blocks, dismantling them, transporting them elsewhere, and reassembling them in their new home while preserving their integrity.

The temples were sectioned into 1,030 blocks, an artificial hill was constructed as their future site, and then they were faithfully reconstructed 65 meters higher and 280 meters further inland, maintaining their original orientation towards the stars and the sun.

The rescue of the Abu Simbel temples remains to this day a unique project in the world, the result of the shared commitment of large enterprises, governments, and under the international umbrella of the UN. An endeavor launched to save a world heritage site, the same endeavor conducted today to restore Notre-Dame de Paris to its former glory.