Notre-Dame de Paris: fire, restoration and contested windows

At 09:50, the fire is out. The towers and the objects inside carry the next part of the night.

What remained

The towers hold. The organ waits.↗

Above the vaults, three losses mark the gap in the roofline: the medieval oak frame known as “la forêt”, the roof covering and Viollet-le-Duc’s spire. Falling debris breaks parts of the vaults. Both western towers and all three great rose windows survive.Ministry of Culture, emergency work and surviving objects Notre-Dame de Paris, the roof structure

The Great Organ’s 2014 inventory lists 115 stops and 7,952 pipes. The pipes are dismantled in 2020, cleaned and installed again in 2024. Harmonization takes nearly six months.Ministry of Culture, history of the Great Organ Ministry of Culture, emergency work and surviving objects

Firefighters, Ministry of Culture staff and clergy coordinate the evacuation of the Crown of Thorns. Chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier is among them. Colossus works in the nave where human intervention is too dangerous: a tool in the operation.Ministry of Culture, evacuation of relics and artworks Ministry of Culture, witness accounts of the fire night

As of 5 October 2026, no definitive cause had been publicly announced. A 2026 report says the origin remains undetermined; that is not a finding by the prosecutor.Le Monde, interpretation or transmission of the alarm, 26 June 2019 Infomatin, investigation status at seven years, 2026

The towers endure. The next set of ledgers records what it takes to restore the outline.

The accounts

The accounts keep separate measures↗

About €1bn. Early headlines round public and corporate pledges to about that amount. The promise-based estimate used in 2020 is a separate measure; gift assessments and collection figures each have their own dates.French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025

At 31 March 2024, EP-RNDP assessed national-subscription gifts at €843m. At 31 December, it reported €846m collected. The dates and definitions differ; neither is subtracted from the rounded headline.French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025

The worksite keeps another ledger. Phase 1 had a €165m budget and €151m realized; phase 2 was planned at €552m. Calls for the first two phases totalled €676m.French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025

By 31 December 2024, €495.015m in phase-2 costs were committed or pre-committed, with €438.406m in payment credits executed. The potential phase-3 balance, assessed separately at €140.8–170m, depends on provisions used and contracts closed.French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025

Another ledger follows the dust, the protections and the worksite’s pause.

Lead

Lead keeps its own timeline↗

About 210 tonnes of lead were installed in the roof covering, and about 250 tonnes in the spire. Installed amounts are not measured emissions. No cited primary source quantifies how much reached residents.ANSES, lead-exposure assessment after the 2019 fire

The first surface samples date to 30 April 2019. Prevention advice follows on 16 May, a dedicated screening consultation opens on 4 June, and environmental results appear on 18 July. On 25 July, the prefect suspends the worksite temporarily to strengthen protective equipment and decontamination; work resumes on 19 August.ARS and Prefecture, six-month report, 14 October 2019

By 30 September, the official report counts 877 first blood-lead tests among people aged 0–18: 12 exceed the 50 µg/L threshold and 78 fall in the 25–49 µg/L vigilance band.ARS and Prefecture, six-month report, 14 October 2019 ANSES, lead-exposure assessment after the 2019 fire

ANSES separately records 1,072 tests by 31 October, mostly among children aged 0–6, including 12 above 50 µg/L. The dates and groups differ. These counts do not show that the fire caused those 12 elevated results.ARS and Prefecture, six-month report, 14 October 2019 ANSES, lead-exposure assessment after the 2019 fire

Work stops in July and resumes in August. Meanwhile, timber begins to return to the outline.

Rebuilding

The skyline rises in oak↗

The 2019 law creates the national subscription and the public establishment responsible for the work. It requires the monument’s historic, artistic and architectural interest to be preserved; it did not require every element to be copied exactly.French 2019 law on Notre-Dame's conservation and restoration Ministry of Culture, heritage approvals for the restoration

In 2020, the heritage commission chose the exterior associated with Viollet-le-Duc.French 2019 law on Notre-Dame's conservation and restoration Ministry of Culture, heritage approvals for the restoration

In March 2021, about 1,000 oaks are selected for the spire and transept roofs. The full roof programme is later described as requiring around 2,000 trees.ONF, first oaks selected for the cathedral roof, 2021

ONF reports more than 1,700 logs delivered from state forests and another 130 from communal forests. A separate allocation lists 491 for the spire and transepts, 1,200 for the nave and choir. These are counts from different stages and lots.ONF and France Bois Forêt, logs delivered for Notre-Dame

More than 300 firms and workshops and over 3,000 craftspeople take part in the restoration. Emmanuel remains the historic south-tower bourdon, dated 1686; it is not a new bell.Ministry of Culture, firms and craftspeople on the restoration, 2025 Ministry of Culture, Notre-Dame's towers and bells

But a restored outline does not mean the promised deadline was met or the work is finished.

Reopening

Two dates mark a reopening↗

On 16 April 2019, Emmanuel Macron calls for rebuilding to finish within five years. The 15 April 2024 anniversary passes without reopening. Public access returns five years and eight months later: a major accelerated restoration, though not a promise met on its anniversary.French President, address of 16 April 2019 Diocese of Paris, reopening ceremony, 7 December 2024

On 7 December 2024, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich strikes the closed door three times with his crosier. A psalm response opens it for the rite; the Great Organ answers eight invocations.Diocese of Paris, reopening ceremony, 7 December 2024 Diocese of Paris, reopening octave and 8 December

The first public access and inaugural Mass follow on 8 December 2024. The eight north-tower bells return after cleaning on 12 September 2024; visitors regain the tower route in September 2025.Diocese of Paris, reopening octave and 8 December EP Rebâtir Notre-Dame, bells returned to the north tower, 12 September 2024 French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025

The doors open to the public. Inside, the question of what should be kept remains.

After

Open landmark, work still under way↗

The cathedral reports that more than 11 million people visited in 2025. That is the year’s reported count, not a forecast made before reopening.Notre-Dame de Paris, visitor report for 2025

Cathedral restoration continues on the exterior elevations through 2028. The forecourt and nearby streets are a separate City of Paris project, also phased through 2028.French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025 City of Paris, Notre-Dame surrounding-space project

The map shows only the current OpenStreetMap footprint: way 201611261, extracted on 3 October 2026 and last edited on 5 September. It is not the 2019 outline. For the island’s setting, see Paris before Haussmann, without revisiting that essay’s parcel story.OpenStreetMap, current cathedral footprint, way 201611261 Paris before Haussmann, sibling essay on the Île de la Cité

Inside, a newer dispute asks what it means to keep a cathedral alive.

The windows

Six windows bring the dispute inside↗

Guillaume Bardet’s liturgical furniture and Ionna Vautrin’s seating are documented contemporary additions. The case does not centre on these objects: the legal controversy concerns replacing six intact 1864 grisaille windows with work by Claire Tabouret and Atelier Simon-Marq.Ministry of Culture, interior design and furniture EP Rebâtir Notre-Dame, contemporary stained-glass project

On 19 May 2026, the Paris Administrative Court refuses urgent suspension of the authorization, finding insufficient urgency. The judge does not decide its lawfulness on the merits. The published schedule planned installation for autumn 2026; that does not confirm the work has taken place.Paris Administrative Court, interim ruling, 19 May 2026 EP Rebâtir Notre-Dame, contemporary stained-glass project

The 2019 law requires preservation of historic, artistic and architectural interest; it does not mandate an exact copy. The exterior choice associated with Viollet-le-Duc came from the heritage commission. The May ruling on the six windows concerned urgency, not the merits.French 2019 law on Notre-Dame's conservation and restoration Ministry of Culture, heritage approvals for the restoration Paris Administrative Court, interim ruling, 19 May 2026

The exterior outline is back. Inside, the question of the six windows remains open.

Sources

Sources, dates and limits↗

The fire chronology, response, restoration, funding, lead and 2026 ruling are tied to institutional records and dated reporting. The cause status is current to 5 October 2026.French Government, account of the response, 17 April 2019 Ministry of Culture, the first months of Notre-Dame's rescue French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025 Paris Administrative Court, interim ruling, 19 May 2026 ARS and Prefecture, six-month report, 14 October 2019 Infomatin, investigation status at seven years, 2026

The map uses the cathedral’s current OpenStreetMap footprint. It does not reconstruct the 2019 roof.OpenStreetMap, current cathedral footprint, way 201611261

Beyond the returned outline, the choice of what the cathedral keeps inside remains unsettled.

Institutional records and dated reporting keep each moment and each ledger in its own context.

Sources and notes

1. French Government, account of the response, 17 April 2019BSPP alert received 18:51; large-scale response at 19:00.
2. Le Monde, report on the first two alarms, 16 April 2019Contemporary reporting of the prosecutor's first- and second-alarm account.
3. Le Monde, interpretation or transmission of the alarm, 26 June 2019Contemporary reporting of the prosecutor's interpretation/transmission wording and early investigation status.
4. Ministry of Culture, the first months of Notre-Dame's rescueSpire time and extinguishing at 09:50 on 16 April.
5. Ministry of Culture, witness accounts of the fire nightSpire collapse around 19:50 and the Colossus robot.
6. Ministry of Culture, emergency work and surviving objectsVaults, towers, stained glass, organ, bells, and post-fire emergency work.
7. Notre-Dame de Paris, the roof structureMedieval oak roof frame known as la forêt.
8. Ministry of Culture, history of the Great Organ2014 inventory: 115 stops and 7,952 pipes.
9. Ministry of Culture, evacuation of relics and artworksCoordinated group rescue of the Crown of Thorns and other relics.
10. French Court of Accounts, third report on the restoration, 2025Pledges, collected gifts, phase budgets and execution, phase calls, remaining balance, ongoing restoration and tower route.
11. Ministry of Culture, interior design and furnitureGuillaume Bardet's liturgical furniture and the interior design.
12. EP Rebâtir Notre-Dame, contemporary stained-glass projectSix window project, artists, selection and planned schedule.
13. Paris Administrative Court, interim ruling, 19 May 2026Suspension refused for lack of urgency; legality of authorization was not decided.
14. French President, address of 16 April 2019The five-year restoration promise.
15. French 2019 law on Notre-Dame's conservation and restorationNational subscription, public establishment, and preservation of historic, artistic and architectural interest.
16. Ministry of Culture, heritage approvals for the restorationJuly 2020 heritage decision toward the Viollet-le-Duc state and faithful exterior restoration.
17. EP Rebâtir Notre-Dame, restoration overviewRestoration phases and project overview.
18. ONF, first oaks selected for the cathedral roof, 2021About 1,000 oaks identified in the early spire and transept work.
19. ONF and France Bois Forêt, logs delivered for Notre-DameDistinct log counts and allocations for spire/transepts and nave/choir.
20. Ministry of Culture, firms and craftspeople on the restoration, 2025More than 300 companies and workshops and more than 3,000 craftspeople.
21. EP Rebâtir Notre-Dame, bells returned to the north tower, 12 September 2024The eight north-tower bells were returned after cleaning.
22. Ministry of Culture, Notre-Dame's towers and bellsHistoric south-tower bourdon Emmanuel, dated 1686.
23. ARS and Prefecture, six-month report, 14 October 2019Dated safety, cleanup, school and September child-screening chronology.
24. ANSES, lead-exposure assessment after the 2019 fire31 October child test count and lead context.
25. Diocese of Paris, reopening ceremony, 7 December 2024Reopening rite on 7 December.
26. Diocese of Paris, reopening octave and 8 DecemberPublic opening and inaugural Mass on 8 December.
27. Notre-Dame de Paris, visitor report for 2025More than 11 million visitors reported in 2025.
28. City of Paris, Notre-Dame surrounding-space projectSeparate city public-space works, phased through 2028.
29. Infomatin, investigation status at seven years, 2026Dated secondary update saying the origin remained undetermined; no newer formal prosecutor statement located by 5 October 2026.
30. OpenStreetMap, current cathedral footprint, way 201611261Present-day footprint only; extract base time 3 October 2026; way last edited 5 September 2026.
31. Paris before Haussmann, sibling essay on the Île de la CitéPlace-setting link only; the 1827 cadastre and Marville street views are not repeated here.