Notre Dame: Its stained glass windows “travel” to Cologne for restoration – Watch video

Time is short, as well France hopes to reopen Notre Dame next year. Matthias Deml, an art historian and representative of the builders of the Cologne Cathedral, remembers well the evening of April 15, 2019. “I was sitting in front of the TV, shocked and amazed,” he tells “DW”.

Flames were shooting from the roof of the world-famous Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. The fire caused enormous damage. Her wooden tower collapsed. Only a day later, firefighters managed to put out the fire. To this day, no one knows what caused it. Maybe it was a short circuit, maybe a discarded cigarette butt. Whatever the cause, people were shocked.

Four years later, Deml’s colleagues Katrin Wittstadt and Elodie Schneider are working on a window by Jacques Le Chevallier, a 20th century stained glass artist. “The biggest problem we have to deal with is a thick layer of lead dust,” says Wittstadt, scientific director at the Cologne Cathedral Laboratory and head of the restoration of four Notre Dame windows.

The dirt, smoke and water used by the firefighters caused extensive damage to the interior of the church. Fortunately, many valuable heirlooms and treasures were saved and many works of art were simply soiled. The flames spared the Gothic cathedral’s world-famous rose windows, but some 19th- and 20th-century windows were damaged, including the four Le Chevallier clerestory windows in the church’s nave. Unlike many other cathedral windows, these colorful stained glass windows are not figurative.

The 300 individual panes remained intact. Only individual pieces need to be replaced or repainted. “This glass is broken into many small pieces and our job is to complement it with a matching colored glass,” say the conservators.

Cleaning and repair work could be done on site in Paris, but the damage to the church’s dome was so great that the windows had to be removed. In November, a truck transported them to Cologne for the restoration work, which should be completed by spring. The experts first recorded the damage before cleaning the windows in a disinfection chamber, sealing the cracks, replacing the broken pieces and repainting them. The final step: welding the lead grid and cementing the exterior.

France has long debated whether or not to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral as it was or according to modern designs. The renovation and restoration is estimated to take five years. Time is short because the church is scheduled to reopen next year on April 15. Repairs are likely to continue beyond that. The total budget for the reconstruction is about 830 million euros ($895 million), in the form of pledged funds and donations.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, early on made it a top priority to rebuild Notre Dame, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. For many people in France, Notre Dame has great sentimental value. The cathedral has “seen” many historical events, such as the coronation of Emperor Napoleon in 1804 and the funeral of President Charles de Gaulle. The bells of Notre Dame rang on important occasions, such as the liberation from the Nazis in 1944.

Its construction began in the twelfth century and today its two main towers, 69 meters high, rise above the rooftops of Paris. The view is magnificent. Until the devastating fire in April 2019, up to 14 million people visited Notre Dame every year. It was the most visited attraction in France, even after the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

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