As the last wisps of smoke rose from the charred detritus tumbled in the nave of Notre Dame in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron addressed his nation: “We will rebuild Notre Dame, more beautiful than before,” he said, “and I want it done in the next five years. We can do it.” Anyone with any knowledge of what is involved in the restoration of a historic building, let alone one that has suffered such a catastrophic level of damage, is tempted to respond: “No we can’t.”
Macron’s sonorous words may have been good politics (not least because his five-year plan neatly coincides with the Paris Olympics in 2024) and a sign of the cathedral’s symbolic importance to the country. But those tasked with implementing them won’t thank the president for imposing such an unrealistic timescale – and the expectations that come with it ‒– upon them. Five years is a long time in politics but restoration is a painstaking business that doesn’t correspond to the Élysée cycle. More informed estimates see the rebuilding of Notre Dame as taking anything from ten to 40 years.
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