France Marks 3rd Anniversary of Notre Dame Cathedral Fire
Mystery lead sarcophagus found in cathedral to be opened.
France is marking the third anniversary of the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire, as restoration has officially begun to return the iconic structure to its original glory.
The initial phase to secure and safeguard what was left of the 12th century French Gothic landmark ended last summer, with the restoration work finally kicking off over the winter.
The safety, cleaning and reconstruction efforts are a vast national enterprise for France, with 90 state-sponsored contracts already issued to companies to help clean, consolidate and rebuild Notre Dame. In total, 130 such contracts will be issued, according to the public body established to oversee the restoration work.
After months of debate over the future of the famed medieval cathedral, the plans were approved by a national commission and “include the identical restoration of the oak wood frame and the roofing of the large attic as well as the restoration of the spire of Viollet-le-Duc,” the Public Establishment for the Conservation and Restoration of Notre Dame said in a statement Thursday.
One of the silver linings associated with the dark cloud of destruction is that the archaeological digs under the fire-damaged cathedral have yielded a treasure trove of objects dating back to the 13th century.
Among the finds were pieces of the lost rood screen of Notre Dame built around 1230. It was destroyed at the beginning of the 18th century.
“Thanks to the excavation, several hundred lapidary elements ranging from several hundred grams to nearly 400 kg were found, buried in the eastern area of the transept,” Inrap said in its report.
The report marked the end of excavations at the crossing of the transept of the cathedral.
Graves were also discovered as several burials were identified and exhumed.
One of the items located was a lead sarcophagus that teams are planning to open.
A mysterious leaden sarcophagus discovered in the bowels of Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral after it was devastated by a fire will soon be opened and its secrets revealed, French archaeologists said Thursday.
The announcement came just a day before the third anniversary of the inferno that engulfed the 12th century Gothic landmark, which shocked the world and led to a massive reconstruction project.
During preparatory work to rebuild the church’s ancient spire last month, workers found the well-preserved sarcophagus buried more than a metre (three feet) underground, lying among the brick pipes of a 19th century heating system.
But it is believed to be much older — possibly from the 14th century.
Scientists have already peeked into the sarcophagus using an endoscopic camera, revealing the upper part of a skeleton, a pillow of leaves, fabric and as-yet unidentified objects.
Given how the past two years have gone, I question the wisdom of opening a lead sarcophagus. As a fan of ancient Egypt, I can attest to the fact that is how all the horror and terror usually begins.
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“One of the silver linings associated with the dark cloud of destruction is that the archaeological digs under the fire-damaged cathedral have yielded a treasure trove of objects”
Every dark cloud has a silver lining.
Mark that well CommoChief.
I bet that the fire was the work of a peaceful Muslim, in fact there are many Christian churches mysteriously burning down.
Or, dried timber combined with sparks from negligent workmen.
Or, the Pfizer vaccine.
Or bears playing with matches.
Funny you should mention that.
The cathedral where Mrs. Henry and I got married was just over the RI state line into Massachusetts, and was also named Notre Dame. It was relatively magnificent for an American cathedral, boasting the largest single-canvas painting in the world on the underside of its dome.* In 1982, it burned down to the ground, thanks to sloppy preservation work, when a workman using a torch to soften and reseal the lead roofing ignited the dry timbers underneath.
France is fortunate that their Notre Dame is a “national treasure,” and there is a will to restore it. America has pretty much lost the will to restore damaged greatness. Fall River’s Notre Dame was reincarnated as a smaller McChurch, then merged with the other major neighborhood church, then closed its doors for good in 1989. And this in a city that at least used to boast a supermajority of French-Canadian and Portuguese residents, all Catholics.
*The Cremonini “Last Judgment” painting was spectacular, but also an in-joke to parishioners. It depicted God waving the faithful into heaven with one hand, and consigning the rest into the depths of hell. It was a huge painting and took Cremonini quite a long time to execute, to the choler of the parish priest, who continually nagged him to greater efforts. When the painting was finally unveiled, one of the souls being flung into hell was obviously the pastor, in full robe and tabbed-collar regalia, who stood out as the only soul in black. The painting is nowhere to be found on the web, but I have copies…
Muslims did it, we all know this to be true
They have been destroying churches all over France
Close your eyes and say, “Muslims are good” three times.” And when you open your eyes again you will realize that didn’t change a damn thing. Muslims are evil as hell.
France should celebrate by electing Marine Le Pen.
That would cause me to celebrate like a Frenchman.
Kamala Harris stated that the 3 years that have passed since the fire proves the importance of the passage of time. She also stated that Notre Dame is a big church in France, and that France is a country in Europe, that is not part of the Ukraine or of that other big country, Russia. She also knows France is in NATO because it rhymes with potato which is the main part of the French Fry.
Damn! That’s presidential material right there. Ten times smarter than Joe Biden.
So they found a sealed lead sarcophagus hidden in a medieval church?
I think I saw this movie back in the 80s. Prince of Darkness by John Carpenter. That one didn’t end well for humanity.
“I question the wisdom of opening a lead sarcophagus. As a fan of ancient Egypt, I can attest to the fact that is how all the horror and terror usually begins.”
Fans of DC and EC comics concur!
heh heh
knights templars rumors about to start.
They started when Will slapped Chris.
Do you know who “Oscar” of the statue actually depicts?