Six years to the day after the devastating fire that engulfed the emblematic Notre-Dame in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron will preside over a ceremony honouring 100 artisans who contributed to the cathedral's restoration.
The ceremony is taking place at 18:00 on Tuesday – exactly the time the blaze broke out on 15 April 2019 – in the Élysée Palace's grand banquet hall. It will honour individuals from various trades, including carpenters, stonemasons, scaffolders, and security personnel.
In honour of the people who helped restore the cathedral, Macron will deliver a speech highlighting the efforts made by a group of craftsmen who overcame significant technical challenges and are a source of national pride. He previously said the restoration has contributed to France's global influence and now draws 30,000 visitors annually from around the world.
The blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
The 'Notre-Dame promotion' for the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit was announced on 18 January and aims to represent all trades and hierarchical levels.
In addition to Philippe Jost, president of the public body in charge of the cathedral decision (named Commander of the Legion of Honour), the list includes chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, in charge of the restoration, cathedral manager Laurent Prades, and archaeologist Christophe Besnier, as well as scaffolders, decorators, sites managers, stained glass artists, roofers, and carpenters.
The selection process was reportedly challenging. Jost asked the companies involved to nominate their "laureates," as the presidency wanted to avoid only rewarding executives. Some companies even let their workers choose who should be recognised among themselves.
Belgium leads the way
For the Belgian contributions, seven design teams led by Belgian architect and landscape designer Bas Smets were set to redesign the public space surrounding Notre-Dame.
Smets led a re-imagining of Notre-Dame's surroundings, from the square in front of the cathedral to the gardens behind it, the embankment along the River Seine and the conversion of a disused underground carpark into a visitors' centre.
Smets told The Brussels Times that the project focused on making the public space more resilient to climate change. It incorporates cooling features like guiding the breeze from the Seine through the space, planting more trees, and installing a water feature which can be activated on hot days.
He said that the redesign also aims to attract more Parisians back to the space which tourists have traditionally dominated.
33 individuals will receive the Legion of Honour, and 67 will be awarded the National Order of Merit on Tuesday. The President is expected to present several of the honours personally.
However, for "efficiency" reasons and to demonstrate the collective commitment of public authorities, Prime Minister François Bayrou and Culture Minister Rachida Dati are also expected to take part in the ceremony.
Turning coal into art
While recipients of the honour feel proud, some other contributors feel left out. Didier Duran, the former president of Pierre Noël (a masonry and stone-cutting firm) who was on site the day after the fire, was disappointed to have been overlooked.
"During his last visit to the site on 29 November, the President said we had turned coal into art. In the aftermath of the fire, we picked up, sorted, and cleared the debris so others could do their work. So why weren't the sooty faces honoured as well?" he told French newspaper Le Figaro.
In his speech, Macron is also expected to explain how the spirit of Notre-Dame can live on in other restoration and heritage projects in the years to come.
