The reconstruction opens a debate on respect for the identity of the cathedral – 16/04/2019

Few cases have generated as much global emotional impact as the destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral. That's why its rebuilding It's not limited to professional scholarship.

Reviews are crossed by various criteria and techniques, and even philosophical positions. The debate, enriching for the experts, consists in recovering its symbolic character or giving it a modern artistic profile.

"We will rebuild even more beautiful"Said the president Emmanuel Macron, a phrase that stimulates discussion. A fundamental decision will be whether the Gothic cathedral will be preserved as it is or whether a more creative approach with contemporary materials will be adopted.

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"I think the French will take over the recovery of the cathedral from this terrible episode, and I think that they will come back to the state of the 19th century, not the main condition, but the one that has been inherited and consecrated as the emblem of the city"He explains to Clarin the architect Eduardo Scagliotti, expert in heritage conservation. "It is likely that this symbolic capital will be recomposed," he said.

AT Fernando Gandolfi, Professor of architecture and urbanism of the UNLP, "they will leave it identical to what it was because the French would not tolerate the visit of the ruins of the cathedral." because they do not have a special affection for the marches of time ". "It's going to be a kind of replica of itself, but identical"

The decisions are not simple and are overshadowed by financial, political and especially aesthetic problems. An example is what will happen with the Notre Dame Needle, which was added during the 19th century renovations and was totally destroyed by the fire.

"Now there will be a series of discussions between the restaurateurs. For example, about the roof structure that supported the roof, which was made of cedar wood and was destroyed by fire. Will they use the cedar again to expose it to fire or will they replace it with a fireproof, lighter and more effective material?", Asks Gandolfi.

For Scagliotti, these approaches are rewarding. "It's a big discussion, it will be very interesting to see how they solve it. Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc; I do not think that it is necessary to use original materials. On the contrary, I would recommend using contemporary materials to improve the service "said.

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Viollet-le-Duc was the famous French architect who restored Notre Dame in the 19th century. His creativity and ingenuity in carrying out this work has been controversial. The expert was criticized for his "Restorations of interpretation" medieval monuments, in which he used non-historical aggregates.

"We had a terrible argument with the Cathedral of La Plata", The largest Neo-Gothic church in America." It was debated whether or not we had to complete the two towers with the original plans. Finally, a hybrid was made, the towers were built, but we keep the brick in sight, "said Scagliotti.

Gandolfi points out that "in the twenty-first century can reproduce almost all the architectural components generated during the course of history," but also warns that "the difference between the original and the replica obviously makes the historicity of the original""What is lost is lost forever", Says the expert.