More than 1,100 French and international architects and heritage experts have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to take the necessary time to ensure good reconstruction work on the fire-damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral.
In an open letter published by French newspaper Le Figaro on Monday, the coalition, including Louvre chief curators Nicolas Milovanovic and Cecile Scaillierez, urges Macron to "let historians and experts have the time for diagnosis before deciding on the future of the monument". The letter also calls for a well-considered, thoughtful and ethical approach and warns against a "political agenda" based on speed.
France’s government last week presented a bill, aimed at speeding up the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, which would allow workers to skip certain renovation procedures.
French MPs are poring over the new law, which would relax tender and some heritage rules to help speed up the restoration, and are likely to start debating it on May 10. The law would also give tax advantages to donors and set up a public body to oversee and carry out the work.
However, The Art Newspaper reports Notre-Dame's status as a Unesco World Heritage site ensures the building must be rebuilt in accordance with specific guidelines.
“Notre-Dame’s World Heritage status calls for international principles of restoration to be integrated into the discussions on how to restore it,” the article states. “All these choices need to be made in accordance with the conservation principles promoted by the World Heritage Convention and expressed in the Conservation Charters of the International Council on Museums and Sites.”
Macron has set a goal of rebuilding the cathedral in just five years, in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024, which some experts consider impossible to achieve.
Donations to help rebuild the cathedral have poured in from around the globe, with the total now topping €850 million (Dh3.5bn).
There has also been debate in France as to how the Gothic cathedral should rise from the ashes. Some argue for an exact historical restoration, while others claim modern methods and techniques should be used on a building that has evolved over the centuries. Construction of the Paris landmark began in the mid-12th century.
'Exactly as it was'
A narrow majority of French people want the fire-ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral to be rebuilt exactly as it was, a survey revealed on Tuesday. The poll showed that 54 per cent of French people want it restored to just as it was before the devastating fire on April 15.
Only a quarter support the idea that the rebuilding should include a modern “architectural gesture” championed by Macron, while a further 21 per cent of those surveyed by YouGov for two French media outlets had no opinion.
France has launched an international architectural competition for the reconstruction of the cathedral's 19th-century spire, which collapsed into the nave during the inferno.
