THE FALLEN SPIRE

When fire engulfed Notre-dame on 15 April 2019, the spire added by Eugène Viollet-leduc during restoration work in 1859 sadly collapsed. Carved from oak from Champagne, it had been created to replace the original spire built between 1220 and 1230, which was dismantled by 1792 and it not only reached a height of 96 metres, it weighed 750 tons. Decorative pieces were saved from the blaze and there is an ongoing debate over what should take the spire’s place.