This Friday, November 29, Emmanuel Macron made a final visit to the construction site of the century, that of the renovation of the cathedral Notre-Dame of Paris. Five years afterfire which devastated the building, the cathedral will celebrate its reopening, with great fanfare, this Saturday, December 7. There is no doubt that on the side of Chaaliswe will closely follow this highly anticipated ceremony. And for good reason: a small piece of the Chaalis estate is now part of Notre-Dame de Paris!
“An oak from the Chaalis estate was chosen for the new framework of Notre-Dame de Paris, we reveal from the side of theroyal abbey by Chaalis. What pride! We are delighted to have contributed to the Renaissance of this building. A bond of wood and soul now unites Chaalis to this universal masterpiece.”
The most beautiful oaks in France
You should know that those responsible for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris wanted to have the most beautiful oaks in France for the framework of the spire, the base and the transept of the building. More than a thousand oak trees were chosen throughout France for the cathedral reconstruction project.
To rebuild this masterpiece, we needed materials on which we could rely. The architects in charge of the cathedral site had to rebuild the most recent part of the monument, designed and built by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century.
The chosen oaks were felled before the start of spring and the rise of sap. “Once cut, they are dried for between 12 and 18 months to reach a humidity level of less than 30%,” explains a specialist.
Many donors
In total, several hundred million euros were raised to rebuild Notre-Dame de Paris. But in addition to hard cash, some donors have expressed their desire to offer their oak trees to restore the cathedral. Among them: individuals, local authorities, the National Forestry Office (ONF), cooperatives and the Institut de France, which manages, among others, the magnificent Chaalis estate.
The selection of oaks was based on a list of pieces of wood necessary for the reconstruction established by those responsible for the project based on the plans of Viollet-le-Duc. The selected trees went to the carpenters’ workshops to be cut and assembled…
A delegation from Chaalis to the inaugural week?
After several years of restoration, the cathedral will therefore be able to welcome the faithful and visitors from all over the world. And worship can once again be celebrated there.
“Following an inaugural week from December 8 to 15, dedicated to celebrating the reopening and paying tribute to those who saved and rebuilt the cathedral, Notre-Dame will resume its daily rhythm from December 16,” indicate the responsible. It is not impossible to think that a delegation from Chaalis is participating in this famous inaugural week…
