The restoration of the classic icon
Notre Dame Cathedral is finally stable and secure enough for artisans to start rebuilding it, more than two years after the shocking fire that tore through its roof, knocked down its spire and threatened to bring the rest of the medieval monument down, too.
The government agency overseeing the reconstruction announced in a statement Saturday that the works to secure the structure — which began the day after the April 15, 2019 fire — are at last complete.
The donation was made on September 16th during a Mass celebrated by Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory in the National Shrine’s Crypt Church in the USA capital, Washington, D.C.
Noting that Notre Dame in Paris “has welcomed countless millions of people for centuries – some have actually been saints while others were great sinners,” Cardinal Gregory said, “may our gift assist the people of Paris in restoring a place of prayer and beauty for those who visit that world-famous shrine in the centuries that will follow.”
Two years after a fire destroyed the roof and spire of Notre Dame in Paris, largely silencing the once active cathedral, a contemporary art project could help the historic site regain its voice as part of its reconstruction. The Bay Area artist Bill Fontana is currently working to record the sounds that the medieval church “hears” through its ten monumental bells, with plans to livestream the audio at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (Ircam) in Paris next year, and hopefully at museums and cultural sites around the world in the future.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/sound-artist-sets-a-new-tone-for-notre-dame-s-bells
