French officials are planning to construct a temporary wooden cathedral on the esplanade in front of the Notre Dame while the fire-ravaged landmark is being rebuilt.
Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, Notre Dame’s chief priest, has suggested building an “ephemeral cathedral” to give faithful Catholics a place to congregate until the 850-year-old architectural treasure reopens.
“We mustn’t say ‘the cathedral is closed for five years’ and that’s it,” Chauvet told France’s Thursday, according to an translation.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has indicated her support for the idea to give part of the esplanade to the church for a temporary structure, according to the . The Paris City Hall approved the idea on Thursday, “subject to technical restraints,” the reported.
About visit the Notre Dame Cathedral every year.
The esplanade in front of the Notre Dame’s twin towers is built over a that contains artifacts from antiquity.
Paris police announced today that they believe an may have caused the devastating blaze at the iconic building on Monday. The the spire and the cathedral’s roof, but volunteers were able to save its famous bell towers, rose windows, organ and other precious artifacts.
While the Notre Dame is a Catholic cathedral that hosts daily worships services, it is officially the . As a result, the government is responsible for rebuilding it.
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to restore the Notre Dame in five years, a pace that for such a massive project.
In the meantime, the island where the Notre Dame is located is to the public, as workers seek to secure the structure. Chauvet the wooden cathedral will be built as soon as the esplanade reopens. The priest said he wants the temporary structure to be “beautiful, symbolic and attractive,” the
