Lone bell chime to mark Notre-dame fire anniversary

Alone bell will ring out from what remains of the Notre-dame Cathedral in Paris on Wednesday, the sole event planned to mark a year since a massive blaze nearly destroyed one of the world’s most revered monuments. Reconstruction of the mediaeval cathedral has been halted, with France under lockdown over the deadly coronavirus outbreak. President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Wednesday to do everything possible to ensure the 13th-century masterpiece is restored to its former glory within five years -- a timeframe already judged optimistic by many, and now further imperilled.

The ferocious blaze, watched in horror by millions of television viewers worldwide, has not been forgotten even if “our days, our thoughts, our lives are usurped” by the coronavirus outbreak, Macron said.

The bell dubbed “Emmanuel” in the cathedral’s south tower is scheduled to ring out at 8:00 pm, the hour French people have become accustomed to gather at their windows and on balconies to applaud health workers on the frontlines of the battle against the virus that has killed over 15,000 people in France.

The 13-tonne bell is the cathedral’s oldest, installed in 1686 at the behest of King Louis XIV, according to the Notre-dame website.

Firefighters battled through the night on April 15, 2019 to save the cathedral from the blaze which ravaged its roof and dramatically toppled the steeple.

But even before the coronavirus pandemic struck, work had been delayed by decontamination efforts. More than 300 tonnes of lead from the roof melted in the blaze, covering the site in toxic particles.

The fragile structure remains at risk, and massive wooden beams are propping up the arches and gables. Workers have not even removed the tangled web of metal scaffolding that fused together in the inferno, which had erupted during renovation work on the roof.

This needs to happen before they can install a more durable temporary roof to protect the church’s priceless artworks from rain.

Officials still have to decide a crucial question: Rebuild the cathedral exactly as it was, using traditional techniques and materials, or incorporate a modern touch?

Macron has said he is in favour of a “contemporary” touch for the spire. But the project’s chief architect Philippe Villeneuve has refused to countenance any glass spire, rooftop garden or other modernistic proposals and opinion polls suggest most French people agree with him. More than 900 million euros (nearly $1 billion) have been given or pledged by some 340,000 companies and individuals worldwide to restore the cathedral.