Four years after the fire, Notre Dame remains strong in all aspects. The structure resisted the fire and the cathedral, despite being closed to the public, remains one of the most emblematic symbols of the city of Paris.
Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters reported that the cathedral structure was safe and that the main relics and works of art were preserved. Now, The Guardian advances, some of these works of art will be exposed to the public.
These are the mays (mays, in Portuguese), 13 oil paintings out of a total set of 76, whose name comes from the fact that they were offered by Parisian goldsmiths to the cathedral, every May, between the years 1630 and 1707.
After being removed from Notre Dame shortly after the fire, the paintings were restored by the National Furniture, entity responsible for historical restorations that is part of the French Ministry of Culture. The restoration and exhibition project is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Paris regional cultural directorate, DARC Île de France.
The paintings will be exhibited from April 24 to July 21, 2024 in Paris, more precisely in Gobelins Gallery, before returning to Notre Dame for its long-awaited reopening. Tickets can be purchased on the official website and cost between €8 and €7 if they are for students.
The exhibition will also feature nine other religious paintings that were saved from the fire and the carpet from Notre Dame’s chancel, used at important events such as the wedding of Napoleon III, which suffered no major damage. 14 tapestries from the cathedral will also be on display.
“We were lucky to get the paintings out of there. [da catedral] quickly and with only dust and some minor water damage. “It was truly miraculous.” said the director of collections of the National Furniture to the Guardian.
The reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral is scheduled for December 8, 2024. But first, on April 15 of this year, there will be a Te Deuma Christian celebration of thanksgiving, which will mark five years since the fire.
Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire on April 15, 2019. More than 400 firefighters were on the scene to extinguish the flames at the famous Gothic cathedral. Although the structure was safe, Notre Dame’s spire ended up collapsing a few hours after the fire started. Hours later, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild the cathedral within five years.
Fire at Notre Dame: what is already known and what remains to be known
Source: Observadora
