Rebuilding Notre-Dame episode 3 - The Last Chapter
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00:00Notre-Dame de Paris, a treasured icon of Gothic architecture and medieval construction.
00:11But on April the 15th, 2019, disaster strikes.
00:17A devastating fire rips through the cathedral, threatening to bring down the entire structure.
00:25For the second time, I've been given the most marvellous opportunity to visit the worksite here at Notre-Dame,
00:33where a huge team of people are working away on the cathedral.
00:37They've rebuilt the walls, they've restored the interior, and now they're nearly at the end of their five-year adventure.
00:46I can't wait to see what's been happening inside.
00:50Will meets the master craftspeople and engineers battling to bring Notre-Dame back to life.
00:59There are five or six hundred people here every day. It's a huge adventure.
01:04Hundreds of workers are entering the final critical stage of an ambitious race to restore this medieval masterpiece,
01:13in time for a grand reopening. It's a gigantic puzzle like no other.
01:21Historians and scientists work together to analyse and reproduce Notre-Dame's architectural mysteries.
01:29This piece with this piece are together.
01:32They're revealing ancient technology hidden for centuries.
01:36This mark is almost on every piece of wood in the garden tree.
01:40And battling to save the fragile structure of the building.
01:44Now in the final stage of this extraordinary five-year restoration project.
01:50This is the inside story of the race to save Notre-Dame Cathedral.
01:56Paris. The city of lights.
02:10A destination for millions of visitors from around the world every year.
02:17On April the 15th, 2019, the 850-year-old cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris was undergoing an £8 million renovation of the spire.
02:31When a fire broke out inside the oak framework of the roof.
02:36After 90 minutes, the 800-ton timber and lead spire gave way.
02:42It crashed through the stone vaulting below, creating gaping holes.
02:52Now, this old lady is looking very different from when I was last here.
02:57OK, there is still scaffolding. But look, there's a roof up there.
03:02And the spire is back. There it is. Shooting up towards the sky.
03:07If you squint your eyes and pretend the scaffolding's not there, it's almost like that fire never happened.
03:17Back in 2019, the focus was to protect what had survived and begin the task of rebuilding the cathedral.
03:25Workers removed 40,000 burned and melted scaffolding poles left over from the spire restoration.
03:33And erected a temporary roof that opened and closed on special rollers to keep the stonework and interior dry.
03:40During all this work, the medieval masterpiece has been closed to worshippers and tourists alike.
03:48Around 13 million people toured Notre-Dame each year before the fire.
03:55They came to marvel at a building that pushed the limits of Gothic architecture.
04:01Tragic as the fire was, I think it took something like that to make us understand just what an absolutely amazing work of collaborative genius that building was.
04:17It's still not known how the fire started, but five years later, the ambitious project to restore the cathedral is well underway and approaching completion.
04:32Donors have now contributed nearly 800 million pounds towards this effort.
04:37It's been a colossal undertaking.
04:44The team has had to remove toxic lead dust, the remains of the old lead roof left over from the fire.
04:51Then clean and restore the fragile stained glass windows.
04:56They must reconstruct the roof identically and fill the three gaping holes in the stone vaulting.
05:03Rebuild the timber framework from almost a thousand oak beams.
05:08Cover it with three thousand square meters of lead sheets and raise the iconic 65 meter spire.
05:16It's the largest cathedral restoration project ever undertaken in France.
05:22Notre Dame's chief architect, Philippe Villeneuve, has led the team tasked with resurrecting the world-famous cathedral since work began.
05:41I have declared that on April 19th, 2019, I met my destiny.
05:47And I'm at the head of all of this.
05:49So I have a complete vision.
05:52And as soon as I walk, I don't have to be aware of it.
05:56So my job...
05:57It's okay?
05:59I can go through there, still.
06:01It's always aware of it, and informed by my collaborators.
06:05Notre Dame has been in a state of salvage and rebuild for nearly five years.
06:12The team needs to bring together many elements from all corners of France to complete Notre Dame's restoration.
06:32Quarries and stonemasons from outside Paris need to ship 2,500 tons of stone to repair the vaults and damaged statues.
06:432,400 oak trees felled all over France are being shipped to carpentry workshops to fabricate the beams for the roof and spire.
06:53They want to reopen the cathedral to visitors later this year.
07:14Last time I was here, that felt almost ridiculously ambitious.
07:21So I'm keen to get inside and find out how things are looking.
07:26Oh, wow!
07:28It's so different from when I was last here.
07:33That was dark, it was intense, it was noisy, it was full of scaffolding, it was basically like hell.
07:39But now, it's beginning to look like a church again.
07:44It's still pretty noisy, but there's sort of serenity underneath.
07:50And there was that great big hole in the roof and it's gone.
07:55Things have really come on.
08:00Restoring Notre Dame to its former glory is a massive undertaking, demanding the unique skills and dedication of thousands of workers.
08:08The French National Heritage and Architecture Commission has ruled that Notre Dame be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire.
08:17This means that the reconstruction must stay true to the techniques of the past, modern hands building to historic plans.
08:27This is just the fantastic thing about being able to watch such an extraordinary group of people at work.
08:34Watching their curiosity and being able to follow that detective process.
08:40Since 2019, the team has successfully shored up this stone edifice and decontaminated the site.
08:48One of the team's challenges at Notre Dame was to fill the three holes in the stone vaults.
09:07First, they had to build a 33-meter-high network of scaffolding and erect temporary timber supports to prop up the remaining vaults, which were extremely fragile.
09:22Only with these in place could the team of highly specialized stone cutters then start to rebuild the collapsed limestone masonry.
09:32I don't think there are many countries, in Europe or in the world, where there are still some stone-towers and stone-towers who reconstructed the vaults.
09:42This is no longer the time, so we had to learn again.
09:46Notre Dame was originally built from 30 different types of limestone.
09:54Limestone is a strong and versatile material.
09:58The stone that makes up the cathedral's lower layers is heavy and tough.
10:04Ideal for Notre Dame's monumental walls and pillars, because it doesn't crush under its own weight.
10:12The softer and less dense stone from the upper layers is perfect for building massive spanned ceiling vaults, held aloft by limestone that's both light and strong.
10:26The teams had to repair, or completely replace, around a thousand cubic meters of stonework.
10:38Sourcing this much new stone to match the old is no simple task.
10:44When you look at Notre Dame's pierre, you can see that there are a lot of zones with small holes.
10:52These are the pierres marked by the presence of fossils.
10:56There are a series of holes in it.
10:58These are small holes that are in evolution.
11:03And in fact, these holes sometimes part and they are empty.
11:06And this gives a particular texture to the cathedral.
11:09The limestone to rebuild Notre Dame comes from nine quarries across France.
11:19Benoit Orcholl runs one of these quarries.
11:23It produces a unique limestone that cannot be sourced from anywhere else in the country.
11:29It's the largest order his family-run business has ever received.
11:39Benoit's team must quarry and ship 670 cubic meters of stone for Notre Dame.
11:47It's the largest order his family-run business has ever received.
11:52This team has a huge job. They need to cut around 550 blocks in a very limited period of time.
12:06In a small block like that, it doesn't remain full like that, of course.
12:10It will be cut in several small blocks.
12:15Cutting a block of stone calls for an expert eye and experience.
12:20They guide a 32-foot-long saw by remote control to precisely slice the stone.
12:27There's a huge chance that this block can be returned to Notre Dame because it doesn't seem to have any defects.
12:34In the carrière, we have several different stones.
12:38We have one specific stone, where the hard stone looks like the hard stone of Notre Dame.
12:44And it's really this stone that we will choose to rebuild Notre Dame.
12:50Once the block has been cut on both sides, Benoit uses a large steel talon to lever it out of the bedrock.
13:00It takes skill to free the limestone and find the highest quality segments.
13:11They tie the blocks to the back of a truck and transport them to a workshop, where workers give them a special wash.
13:20This saw slices off the edge of the block to reveal the true quality of the stone inside.
13:29That's what will allow us to see the defects in the pierre, because it remains a natural material.
13:35So there are always defects that can appear.
13:38That way, we can really select the most beautiful blocks and have the lowest loss possible.
13:43We choose blocks that will be in history and will not be eternally, but for us, it will be eternally.
13:55Another daunting challenge that the team here face is to rebuild the roof's iconic 19th century spire.
14:13The cathedral's original spire rose 96 metres from the ground.
14:19It was clad in lead over a skeleton of oak beams.
14:23It was the most intricate element of the roof.
14:26It was the last time we made such a complicated, complex and large as this one.
14:32It was the same.
14:33I don't know any other, in fact, such complex.
14:36Rebuilding this engineering masterpiece is no simple task.
14:40Workers must anchor the base of the spire on top of four stone pillars built around the ceiling vaults.
14:50From this rock-solid base, they must assemble a wooden skeleton that weighs almost 500 tonnes, more than 65 metres above the ground.
15:01They must carefully wrap this in lead to protect it from the elements and reinstall 16 decorative copper statues that are being restored to complete Notre Dame's famous spire.
15:22The team plans to rebuild the new spire so that it's identical to the original 19th century design.
15:29The spire's octagonal in shape. Its skeleton is clad with many decorative frames that a team of specialist carpenters must carve by hand.
15:50Floral motifs decorate each of the eight faces of the spire.
15:56They're known as trefoils and quatrefoils.
15:59They're inspired by a medieval aesthetic and they're being recreated by these 21st century artisans.
16:07Carpenters need to cut a thousand timber sections and create 2,000 joints to form the skeleton of the spire.
16:18The base alone is made up of 110 separate pieces of timber that must interlock perfectly to give the structure strength.
16:33The spire will be assembled in four separate layers.
16:42To ensure each layer fits together, carpenters and engineers first assemble all the components off-site.
16:49It takes the team four weeks to complete the first layer which will form the base of the spire.
17:00The test assembly at this workshop is a success. All these pieces fit together just as they should.
17:07Now workers dismantle and ship the pieces to Notre Dame.
17:12On site, workers reassemble the sections on the ground so that cranes can lift them into position.
17:20With the base of the spire complete, now the team can integrate the timbers around it that make up Notre Dame's roof, known as the forest.
17:28The fire devastated the wooden structure at the cathedral.
17:44The rebuild of the roof is the most crucial element to the success of the restoration.
17:53I really hate heights.
17:58I don't like this at all.
18:01Oh, look down there.
18:03But I think this will be worth it for what's at the top.
18:07In 2019, the fire started above the roof and this huge timber structure, known as the forest because of all the wood, got completely destroyed.
18:19But now I think the forest has sprung back to life.
18:28I think it's a good idea.
18:29I think it's a good idea.
18:30I think it's a good idea.
18:34Teams of carpenters are working flat out to install the timber trusses that make up the roof across the length of the nave.
18:44They begin from the base of the spire and move outwards in all four directions.
18:48Each bay has two principal trusses and four secondaries, which are a bit smaller in section.
18:55In the coming weeks, you have pieces that will actually insert into the stone gable between the two towers at the western end of the building.
19:02Interestingly, in the Middle Ages, they actually started the carpentry there.
19:05We're working in reverse just because of the way the site is organized.
19:11There are five or six hundred people here every day, exchanging with the other craftspeople, the other carpenters, seeing every step of the cathedral.
19:19It's fascinating every day and it's just a huge adventure.
19:22Gosh, here's the forest and it has its own smell. Smells like fresh cut oak.
19:34And you can see that this hasn't been done by machines. That's been done by the human hand.
19:44I think that makes it all the more lovely.
19:53They use twelve hundred oak trees, mostly felled in state-owned forests across France, to reproduce the Gothic roof trusses.
20:04On site, the roof trusses arrive thick and fast.
20:08There's no assembly manual for this process.
20:11The carpenters here share a secret coded language that's hidden beneath the interwoven structure.
20:16Look at this. They've even taken the trouble to reproduce the original numbering system that was used by the medieval craftsmen.
20:27This means that this was timber number four on the south side.
20:31Nothing has been overlooked to make it just like it was.
20:34They use Roman numerals and other traditional symbols to identify the positions of the beams and where they interlock.
20:46This is a really, really old technique, old marking technique, that is understood by carpenters all around France.
20:55Thanks to this mark, you know exactly where this piece goes, this can go nowhere else.
21:00This technique was also used by the medieval carpenters who built Notre Dame's original roof.
21:09These charred roof timbers recovered from the fire depicts the same special code.
21:15Here, you have a mark of carpenters.
21:20So they are sure that this piece with this piece are together.
21:27Some of these marks hold special messages.
21:30Today, just as they did centuries ago.
21:32This mark is a bit specific. It's almost on every piece of wood in the carpentry.
21:39If I use a little there, the bubble should be centered. Yeah, I'm fine with it.
21:46The coded messages are steeped in history and so are the techniques.
21:52Hank, could you tell me how these pieces of timber have been cut?
21:54The medieval carpentry specifically, we used green wood, which means it's unseasoned, fresh off the stump.
22:05Every other beam that you see here was hand-hewn, so with an axe.
22:11So that's the telltale surface that you see.
22:12Yes.
22:13This sort of rippling, undulating signature of the axe.
22:17They're not at all cured or dried or seasoned in any way.
22:20And that's the way this carpentry was done initially.
22:27Medieval carpenters had access to vast areas of forest to select the best trees to build Notre Dame's roof.
22:36Back then, timbers were used unseasoned, shortly after felling.
22:40This green oak was soft and easier to work with than seasoned timber that had been dried.
22:47Today, the team follows the same process.
22:54Using green timber creates unique challenges.
23:00Moisture in the timber means that as it dries, its shape can slowly change over time.
23:06The market town of Chesterfield, in the United Kingdom, bears witness to the perils of building with green timber.
23:15It's thought that the 660-year-old crooked spire at the parish church could be due to beams that have warped as they've dried.
23:24For Notre Dame's roof and spire, this precarious twisting must be avoided at all costs.
23:33The main advantage is that the wood will exert a retrain.
23:37These dimensions, in these shapes, will be reduced.
23:39Tant in length and in large.
23:42The experts don't agree on that.
23:44The problem with Notre Dame, it's the monumentality of the structure.
23:50We are on a retrain of 1 mm per meter, around, on the wood.
23:56So when we are on 1 m, 1 mm per 1 m, it's not very serious.
24:00But when we are on 10 m, a poutre makes 10 m, it makes a retrain of 1 cm.
24:04And then we can see pathologies that are prejudicial to the structure.
24:13To investigate the risks of any potential warping, Emmanuel is conducting a unique experiment in the heart of rural France.
24:22Three years ago, he joined forces with timber scientists and college students to build this huge replica section of Notre Dame's roof.
24:31These green oak beams are bristling with hundreds of sensors and surveying targets.
24:39Data from the sensors so far reveals that the quality of the joints and the assembly itself, rather than the amount of moisture in the timber,
24:48is key to creating a robust structure that won't warp.
24:52Further data should allow restorers to anticipate problems and intervene long before twisting or splintering occurs.
25:02As the roof has started to settle down, has it done anything that surprised you?
25:07Yeah, invariably, as the green wood dries, it will check and twist and shrink.
25:12And that's just the way, I mean, that's life, that's the way it is.
25:16But green wood, if you're working specifically, as we were, with hand tools, green wood is much easier to work with hand tools.
25:22It's a bit like cutting a ripe fruit. As the wood dries, it becomes brittle and less amenable to hand tool work.
25:30So the wood is easier to work, but then you have to predict how it's going to behave once you've put the roof up.
25:35There are certain tensions in the wood that we've noticed that we've had to adapt to during the raising of the frame here.
25:42We've had to pull things in and hold them tight as we set them in place, because there are certain pieces that have a tendency to spring out.
25:49And so, yes, we have had to adjust a little bit as the wood is dried.
26:00As the timber roof takes shape, the team must also take precautions to protect it.
26:05It's a big work that we have to finish, and we have to finish a completely rebuilt fire protection.
26:14It's thought that the 2019 fire began inside the roof.
26:18So today, they're installing a state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression system to guard against future fires.
26:25There's a whole variety of new tools, such as fire fires, such as a fire security security device with alarm bells, such as we've improved the food in the cathedral.
26:44Workers are engineering a pioneering safety system into the rebuilt's cathedral.
26:50They're erecting special fire-resistant compartments. These prevent fires from spreading quickly.
26:58They're installing heat-sensing cameras to spot fires the second they break out.
27:05And automated fire extinguishers will use a fine, high-pressure water mist to douse flames, creating next to no water damage.
27:13We realized that in a case of an incendie, like that of the 15th Avril, there was a fire extremely developed on the whole core.
27:24We created a tampon, and so we avoid the effect of an inflammation of the gases, just without rayonnement.
27:29We proposed to build what we call a travey coupe-feu.
27:32So in fact, it's two grand murs coupe-feu at each time.
27:34So here, you have two grand murs coupe-feu, which are connected between them and are auto-stables.
27:37A network of sensors in the roof detect heat as well as smoke. If they detect a fire, the new system should be able to extinguish it before it spreads.
28:00The innovative system should protect Notre Dame's great forest from future threats of fire.
28:2550 metres below the carpenters constructing Notre Dame's new roof, another team of experts is unearthing the cathedral's ancient past.
28:44Every week we discover a new hidden corner of the building, where we go into a place that we haven't seen before.
28:51We see what the archaeologists have uncovered, skeletons everywhere.
28:55The work to restore the structure's historic footings offers an unprecedented portal into the past.
29:03Archaeologists have uncovered a treasure trove of findings hidden beneath the cathedral floor.
29:09They include 400 burials, dating back nearly 800 years, and at least 10 preserved sarcophagi, including a 14th century clergyman.
29:31Their work is also revealing ancient engineering secrets.
29:41You have the cannibals that have been created by the Ducs, in bricks and everything that brought the hot air, and which were released in the shower.
29:52Engineers are now using the historic heating ducts to house modern electrical cables.
29:57We see a cathedral of the 13th century, and boom!
30:01We see a cathedral of the 13th century, and boom!
30:02We see here, the tuyaux, cables, and things that look more or less like a machine, in modern locations.
30:09Notre Dame of Paris will be a cathedral of the 21th century, and maybe even the 22th century,
30:13which will be equipped with all the modern modern devices.
30:18The building of the modern cathedral requires an enormous amount of supplies.
30:30Delivering materials to the centre of Paris is one of the team's most complex logistical challenges.
30:36To avoid creating gridlock in the city, they make use of the waterway that surrounds Notre Dame, the river Seine, and deliver the stone by barge.
30:54Notre Dame sits on an island in the river.
31:07Notre Dame sits on an island in the river.
31:11It rests on the shoulders of captains such as Eric Ducoum to skillfully navigate shipments of limestone to the island.
31:22For the transport of the stones, we need to be careful of the loading of the ships.
31:29You see?
31:30But we can't put the stones on the ships, because the ships have been on the ship,
31:35and then we need to be able to catch the stones.
31:41It's not easy to catch the stones.
31:45Docking the barge safely at the congested delivery point requires a steady hand.
31:50We are here. Here Notre Dame is here.
31:54Skills like this have guided materials to Notre Dame for hundreds of years.
31:58When Notre Dame was built, it was a ship ship.
32:07And we reproduced exactly what the anciens did.
32:11But with modern materials.
32:14Yes, I'm going to slow down.
32:16Eric can dock his barge right next to the work site.
32:22What do we do?
32:24Where Notre Dame's cranes can unload the stones.
32:26Barges like Eric's are delivering more than 55 tonnes of stone, alongside shipments of lead, to complete this historic rebuild.
32:47Eric will make dozens of journeys like this over the next eight months.
33:12It's a historical arrangement, symbolical for France.
33:21There is an extraordinary state of mind.
33:23There is pride and enthusiasm.
33:25A unity, a union of all.
33:27We are all solidified,
33:28tied to the goal of giving the cathedral to all those who love.
33:31Ah, well, we are proud to be part of the history of Notre Dame.
33:47Back up on the roof, the team is gearing up for the next critical stage of construction.
33:53They must cover the roof and spire with protective sheets of lead.
34:01The plomb is a mode of coverage that is frequent in the historic monuments.
34:06It was important for authentic reasons.
34:09It is a metal that is of great quality, because it is very durable and because it is suitable.
34:15To acquire the quantities of lead they needed, the team had to look outside France, across the English Channel, to this factory in Leicester.
34:31Workers here produce special sheets of lead cast on a flatbed of sand.
34:35It is a technique that has been used for centuries.
34:40Sand has been used from the Roman times to produce lead sheets.
34:44And there is only a small number of manufacturers in the world that manufacture sandcastle lead.
34:50The process today is pretty much as it was originally.
34:55This method of casting lead on sand was developed by medieval engineers,
35:00but has almost died out across Europe today.
35:02It requires expert skills.
35:10All the skill and knowledge is within the person manufacturing the lead.
35:14The first step is to lay down a bed of fine moulding sand on top of the casting table.
35:25Down to the bottom there, it's only a timber board and that's got holes in to allow the steam to come through.
35:29When the molten lead goes on top, the steam needs to escape, because otherwise if the steam comes up and we've only got a small layer of molten lead on top, it will force the steam out of the lead and causes splits in the lead.
35:42So it's quite important to get everything perfectly done.
35:44The team packs down the sand to even out the surface, so the molten lead sets smoothly on top.
35:57We've pressed it down so it's a nice consistency all the way along.
36:01The copper plane is used just to give that perfect finish on top without any blemishes or marks.
36:07The sand, if it's left not quite perfect, it could pick up a small bit of sand, which might leave a small pinhole or impurity in the lead.
36:15So making sure this bit's perfectly smooth and that we've got a consistency of the lead sheet all the way through.
36:24Next step is to load the furnace with lead ingots.
36:28These are made from lead recycled from scrap yards and discarded batteries.
36:33The ingots are refined to 99% pure lead.
36:37The furnace is tapped to allow the lead to pour into the head pan.
36:42The temperature of the lead now will be around about 360-370 degrees and that allows it to cool down.
36:51We're looking to get to about 327 degrees.
36:54You can see it's slightly setting as they actually move the lead.
36:58That literally is because we are just above the melting point.
37:01Once that's all clear, we're ready to pour.
37:02This head pan is controlled by a hydraulic ram.
37:06The hydraulic ram has a speed sensor on it so it can actually speed up the way the lead tips or slow it down,
37:12which also helps with achieving better thicknesses and a more even consistency of the sheet on the table.
37:23The lead is actually poured down the sand at about 327 degrees.
37:27As it hits the sand, it instantly sets.
37:29As you watch the strickle run forward through the molten lead, it's physically setting behind creating a brand new lead sheet.
37:43Every throw is different. It's a handmade product.
37:47What we're looking for on a lead sheet is small pinholes.
37:49Looking for potential cracks, small things you wouldn't notice with the untrained eye.
37:53You can see the guys are now rolling the finish sheets, still be warm.
37:54They roll pretty easy, whilst they're nice and warm.
37:55And the craftsmanship and skill of the guys making them work.
37:57It's a little bit different.
37:58It's a little bit different.
37:59It's a little bit different.
38:00It's a little bit different.
38:01Every throw is different.
38:02It's a handmade product.
38:03What we're looking for on a lead sheet is small pinholes.
38:05Looking for potential cracks, small things you wouldn't notice with the untrained eye.
38:09You can see the guys are now rolling the finish sheets, still be warm.
38:17They roll pretty easy, whilst they're nice and warm.
38:20And the craftsmanship and skill of the guys making the lead is really important.
38:24They've been doing it for many years now.
38:26It's a skill they've got in manufacturing the lead.
38:28You can't actually physically teach it.
38:30You can't give anybody a manual and say this is how you do it.
38:32It's a case of getting involved and basically having the skills just to do the process over and over again.
38:39The team here has six months to make more than 280 tons of lead for Notre Dame.
38:45Workers can now cut, bend and mould these sheets over the timber framework to make the cathedral's roof and spire watertight.
38:58There's now just 11 months to go until Notre Dame's doors are due to open to the public.
39:04Teams are working around the clock to assemble the timber work and lead for the roof and spire.
39:11Cut and install the limestone for the vaults.
39:15And clean and restore the cathedral's ornate windows.
39:19It's a unique and complex tapestry.
39:27The architecture, the engineering, the art, the stained glass, those amazing gargoyles just come together collectively to make that miraculous building.
39:37One of the most intricate tasks for the team of stonemasons here is to repair and restore the statues and friezes high up on Notre Dame's roof and walls.
39:52These gargoyles and chimeras have overlooked the city and protected the cathedral for hundreds of years.
40:01Medieval architects designed the gargoyles to help channel rainwater away from the building's walls and prevent the stone from eroding.
40:11The chimeras are purely decorative features.
40:20They're shaped in the form of mythical beasts created to evoke a sense of mystery and ward off evil forces.
40:27Many of these sculptures were designed and installed by master architect, Urgen Viollet-le-Duc, who oversaw a major restoration of Notre Dame in the 19th century.
40:40Many of the detailed features on these iconic sculptures have been eroded away by the elements over time.
40:57Today, as part of Notre Dame's grand 21st century restoration, teams are removing all of the sculptures.
41:05They're taking them to this special 200-square-metre workshop at the foot of the cathedral.
41:18Oh, my goodness. This place is a treasure trove. It's absolutely stuffed with sculptures.
41:39The restored statues are being used as a template to carve a brand new family of limestone sculptures.
41:46The new sculptures must be identical in size and shape to the original for installation in the cathedral.
42:01They must adopt different techniques to restore and re-sculpt depending on how damaged the stonework is.
42:18We understood that the runges are of the stonework is in the ceiling in the century.
42:21We found a naturalistic drawing for images. We've made a little effort to see what we had.
42:32We've done a lot of research. We've tried having a puzzle.
42:38We tried it like a puzzle, and we tried the small pieces,
42:42and it went there, it went there, and it was a fun work.
42:47I will preserve and restore some of the existing pieces.
42:53So I have to look for the best way to restore the sculptures.
43:01Viollet-le-Duc's original 19th-century statues will be treasured for future display.
43:08Some sculptures, like this gargoyle, have missing features.
43:16Restoring the lost details to help them make identical modern replicas requires detective work.
43:23We have Viollet-le-Duc's drawings.
43:27There is a whole database that dates from Viollet-le-Duc.
43:31And so, from the old photos, we know that there was a closed museum.
43:39They need to repair the old damaged sculpture before they can create its replica.
43:45The first step is to apply layers of special stone mortar.
43:50So, this is a statue to apply the mortar.
43:52And this is a stone mortar to apply the mortar.
43:59To recreate the most fragile and shattered stone sculptures, engineers have developed pioneering techniques.
44:06The team scans the damaged sculpture and creates a three-dimensional computer model.
44:17They then 3D print this model, life-size, in a soft foam.
44:24They then use plaster of Paris to precisely reconstruct features that have eroded or been destroyed.
44:32Only then can the sculptors get to work to carve out the brand-new replica statue from hard limestone.
44:44The new sculptures must be carved from the hardest variety of limestone to make sure they're strong enough to hang unsupported and to withstand the elements outdoors.
45:01With their craft and ingenuity, these talented sculptors are carving hundreds of different decorative elements,
45:10which will permanently adorn the restored cathedral.
45:14When the project is finished, will you feel sad?
45:17Sad? No.
45:19Happy?
45:20Sad?
45:27Sad?å¹¾comm Fenghi
45:34Fashion
45:41Looking more carefully at the stonework of the cathedral, these pillars, the vaults, it's just astonishing what they've done.
45:49They've really matched in the new stone to the old
45:53and given the old a magnificent clean, too.
45:56They were aiming for you to get the idea
45:59that the cathedral was just finished yesterday,
46:02a full-on restoration, and they have achieved that.
46:05It's remarkable, the care that's been taken.
46:12It's taken the dedication of nearly 1,000 workers
46:16to restore Notre Dame.
46:18On a, sur ce chantier, des entreprises
46:22d'une compétence et d'une qualité incroyables.
46:25Tant techniques, d'ailleurs, que humaines.
46:27On est tous tendus pour la réussite
46:30de cette cathédrale qu'on aime tous.
46:32Je viens sur ce chantier travailler sur une magistrale merveille
46:35que j'aime tant, avec des gens que j'adore.
46:37Et ça, c'est formidable.
46:48Au niveau de l'abside, tu te retrouves avec trois largeurs différentes.
46:52Au niveau de l'abside, tu te retrouves avec trois largeurs différentes.
47:01Au niveau de l'abside, tu te retrouves avec trois largeurs différentes.
47:10Au niveau de l'abside, tu te retrouves avec trois largeurs différentes.
47:17La première étape, c'est d'enregistrer une précise outline
47:21de chaque truss sur l'abside.
47:24Cela permet à l'équipe d'assembler l'ensemble de l'abside
47:27de l'abside de l'abside de l'abside de l'abside de l'abside
47:29de l'abside de l'abside de l'abside de l'abside de l'abside.
47:33Il faut savoir lire un peu le bois
47:36pour dire quand il va s'assembler, comment il va arriver,
47:40un petit peu pencher, donc ça c'est à l'œil.
47:43Il faut quelques années de pratique
47:46pour arriver à le maîtriser à 100%.
47:50Il prend deux mois
47:51pour érecer l'abside de l'abside.
47:57On va le charger, tu le chargeras après.
48:00On va.
48:04Once dismantled,
48:06trucks can ship it to Notre-Dame,
48:08where it'll be reassembled.
48:11On aura nos souvenirs d'ateliers
48:13avec certaines pièces, certaines fermes
48:16où on sait exactement quasiment
48:18la pièce qu'on a taillé.
48:20Et c'est une fierté pour nous
48:22d'avoir participé à une belle aventure.
48:27On site,
48:30it's taken carpenters four months
48:34to install nearly 100 trusses
48:41across the whole roof.
48:44Attention, ça va relever!
48:46The trusses cover almost all of the transept,
48:49as Notre-Dame's iconic forest
48:52bursts back to life.
48:57Valentin and his team need a head for heights,
49:00working 60 metres above the ground.
49:04To make their task even tougher,
49:06they're now installing the most complex part
49:08of the roof,
49:09the curved apse
49:11that crowns the rear of the cathedral.
49:15Accroche-moi les langues sur l'autre versant
49:16puis je vais les mettre par dessus.
49:18The biggest challenge on the apse,
49:21which is just behind me,
49:23because this is a part where
49:25a lot of wood pieces are coming together
49:28and the joints are particularly complicated to do.
49:31We can see some that are not typical,
49:34so that's what is most complicated for me.
49:36To complete the curved roof framework over the apse,
49:44Valentin's team must assemble two tiers of wooden beams
49:48that radiate out like the spokes of a huge umbrella.
49:55Then they must install a frame with a spike on top
49:58that will hold up the cross over the apse.
50:01Finally, they must attach the 20 rafters,
50:07which taper precisely at the top
50:12and fit together tightly
50:14to form a perfectly curved half cone at the rear of the roof.
50:24This is a big test.
50:26The timber work for the apse fitted together in the workshop,
50:29but will it work up here?
50:38It takes Valentin and his team seven days
50:41to fit this giant jigsaw together.
50:51Today they reach a milestone.
50:53The final rafter needs slotting into place.
50:56The detailed planning and hard work of the carpenters has paid off.
51:08Notre Dame has a roof once more.
51:11It's a unique project.
51:13We know that we won't see this view ever again.
51:17We are really proud of what we produced.
51:19Over on the central section of the roof,
51:31inside this tower of scaffolding,
51:33workers are now gearing up to install the uppermost sections of the spire.
51:38The decorative frames that make up the octagonal spire slot into place.
51:47In December 2023, the reconstruction reaches its peak.
51:53The team gathers to install the top of the spire to crown this monumental achievement.
52:00The metal cross lands on top and the skyline of Paris welcomes the new Notre Dame.
52:07With the timber spire and roof frames in place,
52:19the team must now prepare the lead covering for installation.
52:23They mould the rolls into individual sheets that will cover the roof and spire.
52:30They trim them into angular pieces that will protect the body of the spire.
52:36Some of the more complex shapes, such as the gargoyles and delicate ornamentation,
52:42must be cast from molten lead.
52:49Altogether, they must tailor-make over 3,000 lead pieces.
52:54A real feat of heavy metal haute couture.
52:59The cover is to make it clean and dry.
53:11Julianne must fit 120 tonnes of 3,5 millimetre thick lead sheets
53:16to cover the entire surface of the spire.
53:19The sheets should fit over the spire like a jigsaw.
53:23It's hard and wet at the same time.
53:33It's cold, so it's going to be hard and dense.
53:38We're going to heat it and it's going to work more easily.
53:42The malleable quality of the lead allows the team to bend and shape the material
53:47to cover the intricate angles and corners.
53:53I really marked the angle on the inside for the first time.
54:00With a bat.
54:02I have a second bat, which we call a bourseau.
54:05It's a bat that forms a little more sharp angle.
54:08And it comes with the finishing.
54:10It's the cover as we know it from the middle age.
54:13It's almost the same technique.
54:14It's just that after it evolved.
54:16We didn't have the caoutchouc, we didn't have the resin in the middle age.
54:19It was in wood, in blue.
54:21The lead sheets must fit tight to the timber work to create a watertight protective cladding.
54:28This was the last pass.
54:31Once the cladding is fitted, they can install the spire's decorative features.
54:38It takes Julien and the team, two months, to cover the top half of the 96-metre spire,
54:45with the lead that will protect it for centuries to come.
54:50It's something that's very impressive.
54:52It's the master's piece from the back side.
54:55There's still a certain certainty to think,
54:57well, when it's finished, we've been there and we've done it.
55:01With the main construction works reaching completion, teams prepared the final elements to restore Notre Dame's legendary beauty.
55:20It's true that every time I come here, it's extraordinary.
55:23These 16 copper statues from the spire were miraculously spared from the fire,
55:29having been removed for restoration only days before the inferno broke out.
55:33We were going to dismantle these statues on November 11th of 2019,
55:38and unfortunately, four days later, there was an explosion.
55:41We had the chance.
55:44Coppersmiths have painstakingly restored the statues,
55:48which are now ready to regain their rightful place on Notre Dame's spire.
55:54And to say there are millions of tourists who will pass in front, wow.
56:01Inside the cathedral, the final touches are taking place.
56:06The decorative plaster walls, vaults and shrines are painted by hand
56:10to a luster that hasn't been seen in generations.
56:15To match expectations, every detail must be perfect.
56:19For the whole team here, rebuilding Notre Dame has been the challenge of a lifetime.
56:36It's an amazing achievement of wood, stone, metal and glass.
56:42There is an alchemy that is created, and that's why I've been working.
56:45Over the course of the rebuild, teams have cut and carved more than 2,500 tons of stone,
56:54shaped and interloped more than 2,000 pieces of timber.
56:58To say it's the chance of a lifetime is a huge understatement.
57:02Just to be here on site every day, it doesn't get old for me.
57:07Cleaned and reassembled 3,000 square meters of stained glass.
57:10It's magnificent, the beauty of this wood, look at it. It's incredible.
57:19For me, it's incredible.
57:21And rebuilt more than 50 statues.
57:23It's been such a privilege to spend time in the cathedral.
57:29And what dedication from the architects, the restorers, the carpenters,
57:34all the craftspeople who've worked so hard to put it all together.
57:38And on such a tight deadline too.
57:40But it does seem like their dream of reopening in 2024 will be a reality.
57:48I think it's a stunning success.
57:51This project will have its critics, but nobody can deny the determination,
57:56the skill, the will that's gone into bringing the cathedral back from the ashes.
58:03I think that Notre Dame is part of their humanity, their history, their memory, and their repairs.
58:18It's like the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal.
58:23Notre Dame belongs to us all.
58:25It's a beautiful dream.
58:26It's a beautiful dream.
58:27It's a beautiful dream.
58:28It's beautiful.
58:55It's beautiful.
58:56Number two.
59:02I think that you should know the true dream,
59:04the moment you that you left.
59:06It's beautiful.
59:12I think the pride and pride are proud of the fear about the dream that you left a jaguation.
59:16It's true.
59:18All right.