Notre-Dame, a gothic masterpiece

AFP English

Notre-Dame de Paris was partially destroyed by a fire on April 15 2019, exactly 5 years ago. The building is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. VIDEOGRAPHIC

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00:00The construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris began in 1163, and the basic structure

00:13was finished in 1345.

00:15The building covers a surface area of 6,000 square meters, 127 meters long, 40 meters

00:21wide and 33 meters high.

00:24Until the mid-13th century, it was the largest religious monument in the Western world.

00:29A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, Notre-Dame was laid out in the form of a cross to reflect

00:34the divine order.

00:38Architectural features and technical innovation made it possible to construct ever-higher

00:43buildings.

00:45Builders could produce pointed arches on doorways and made systematic use of higher and higher

00:50ribbed vaulting, thanks to the flying buttress, a support built against the outside walls.

00:56To reach these great heights, the builders invented hydraulic saws to section the blocks

01:00of stone, lifting gear like the so-called squirrel cage, which made it possible for

01:05one man to raise 600 kilograms high onto the scaffolding.

01:10Thanks to these techniques, it was possible to make large openings in the walls that housed

01:14vast stained glass windows, much bigger than was possible in the Middle Ages.

01:19To protect the stone from the rain, gargoyles were positioned at the end of the gutters,

01:23leaning into the void.

01:27The forest, the name given to Notre-Dame's timber work, was an impressive tangle of oak

01:31beams.

01:32Around 1,000 trees were used in the 13th century construction.

01:36Before the fire in April 2019, the forest was regarded as a masterpiece for its technical

01:42complexity and exceptional state of preservation.

01:47Because of the lack of clay to manufacture tiles, the roof was made of lead.

01:51The lead weighed 210 tons.

01:54There was an organ in Notre-Dame as early as the 12th century, however the instrument

01:58that survived the fire in April 2019 dates from the 15th century.

02:04With nearly 12 million visitors a year, Notre-Dame was the most visited monument not only in

02:10France but in Europe before the blaze.

02:13The cathedral will be restored exactly as it was before the fire.

02:17Work should be finished by 2024.

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