Our Lady was inside after the devastating fire

How long will it take to restore Notre Dame? Can the architectural jewel be restored as it was before the disaster? How much will it cost? Here are some of the questions experts face the day after the devastating fire.

COST OF THE RESTORATION: The numbers vary according to traditional or new techniques that could be used, but will reach several hundred million euros, according to experts, and the wave of solidarity that occurred in the early hours of the fire will cover this budget . "This time, what will be missing is not money," said French journalist Stéphane Bern, citing the fact that there are many monuments in France that are in danger and lacking in financial resources.

DEADLINES: The forecasts on the restoration times are very variable. The work will take "between 10 and 20 years minimum", according to Bern. This will depend on the badessment of damage, expertise, offers. Also preparatory work, sanitation, consolidation and drying. But once these steps are completed and the competent companies selected, the actual restoration of the cathedral will be relatively fast, according to experts.

OFFERS: Unlike the cathedrals of other countries or Strasbourg (eastern France), which do not belong to the State, the restoration of the cathedral of Paris obeys the complexity of the rules of the public markets: the selected companies make use of subcontractors, who in turn can also call on other companies. They can even hire "low-skilled people," according to an architect who requested anonymity.

Some architects consider that this state system is less safe for daily control of the conservation of a monument. On the other hand, in the case of Strasbourg Cathedral, a team checks its status every day.

INSURANCE: Who was responsible for what? First, we must determine the origin of the accident and its circumstances – which is not advertised easily – to establish the role of insurance.

REOPENING TO THE PUBLIC: The interior of the cathedral could be reopened to the public quickly because the government and the archbishop wished it. But logically, we must first check the strength of the structure of the monument. BÓVEDAS: The vaults may have been weakened by successive thermal shocks, first the fire, then the water, which saturated the beams. Long and thorough studies will be needed.

Armours: Restoring the original silhouette of the cathedral is not a major problem. But the magnificent armor, especially that of the choir and the nave, with their traces of the 12th century history, have been lost forever. This set was one of the most beautiful in France and represents a considerable loss for the heritage, witness of a know-how pbaded down from generation to generation.

Will the oak armor be restored exactly the same? This is the wish of many architects, although others advocate a quick rebuild, with metal or cement structures.

NEEDLE: The reconstruction of the needle should be no problem, since it was carried out in the nineteenth century.

SCAFFOLDING: Giant and complex scaffolding should be provided. And probably place a giant umbrella on the cathedral to allow the roof to dry. Then, the wood must be removed to avoid imbalance and the general drying phase will begin. If the vaults were to be rigged to a height of 33 meters, the operation with the scaffolding would be even more complex.