The carpenters raised up a three-ton oak truss all by hand in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. With extreme precision and full energy, the team created a replica of the wooden structure that was destroyed in parts in a fire last year in April 2019. The fire had also torched the historic spire of the cathedral.
Informing about the historic architecture, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, head of the cathedral’s reconstruction, told the media that the demonstration shows that their decision to stick with the original building was correct. “Secondly, it shows us the ... method by which we will rebuild the framework, truss after truss,” he further said.
The group of carpenters, known as Carpenters Without Borders, cut the logs of the tree to recreate the wooden frame. Then, they pulled it up using the generations old method of rope cables and a pulley, which was quite a task.
In the coming years, a total of 25 wooden trusses will be installed in the cathedral. However, the dates or the year of construction is not yet decided. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to reopen the cathedral in 2024, the year of the Paris Olympic Games. A number of experts are calling it an unrealistic deadline.