Notre Dame in Paris recently reopened for the first time after the fire in 2019. The opening ceremony took place two weeks ago and since then, the monumental building has been accessible again for the public. The cathedral is a symbol of France, but not everybody agrees with the amount of money that went into the restorations: ‘It’s too much and I think it’s money that should have been put elsewhere,’ says French citizen Clément Mayet (23).

Notre Dame was originally built in 1345 and it was created in honor of Virgin Mary. The name of the cathedral literally translates to ‘our mother’. The Catholic building reaches up to 69 meters of height and it is gothic architecture. Since 1991, it’s also World Heritage Site.

Disaster strikes: a raging fire

Five years ago, chaos erupted in the whole nation of France when flames spread around the cathedral, leaving a trail of total destruction. The roof and the central tower collapsed as a result of the fire. The incident sent a shockwave through the country. ‘My grandma called my mom to follow the live information. It was spectacular. It was almost like the end of the world,’ remembers Clément.

He also admits that to him, it wasn’t that much of a drastic event. He immediately worried the act might have been on purpose and it would provoke racism or another form of intolerance. ‘I was more concerned about the consequences of the fire, if it has been lit voluntarily. I was afraid that maybe someone with a foreign origin had started it and that this would have triggered a major wave of racism,’ he clarifies.

Luckily, the fire was most likely an accident. It was probably caused by restoration works that were going on at the time.

The cost of restoration

Restoring the cathedral took 1.000 workmen five years. The restorations came with a cost of more than 700.000 euros. Scandalous, finds Clément: ‘It’s too much and I think it’s money that should have been put elsewhere, because we can rebuild the cathedral, but it will never be identical.’

He thinks that was precisely the beauty of Notre Dame: its originality. ‘What was beautiful with the cathedral was the fact that it had been the same since ever. But now, it has lost its authenticity so it’s no use putting so much money into that,’ he explains.

There are a lot of homeless people in Paris and Clément thinks such a large sum of money could have been spent on something better than a monument. ‘Besides the homeless people and the poverty, there are also public services that need money. National education, for example, we lack teacher but they also let 3,000 teachers go this year,’ he says. This also affects him directly, as Clément is a teacher himself.

The aftermath of the restoration

Notre Dame is one of the most visited monuments in the city. Before the fire, the cathedral welcomed about 12 million people yearly. After the restorations and the reopening, that number is expected to climb to 15 million people a year.

Clément confirms this: ‘I think more tourists will come to Paris, because the cathedral was so often talked about. With the opening ceremony, there was Trump and Zelensky to show that it was an international event.’

The importance of Notre Dame

‘It’s a symbol. There’s culture and literature connected to it. It’s a symbol of France, for sure,’ states Clément. However, when he has to choose between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, he doesn’t pick the centuries old cathedral. ‘I would say the Eiffel Tower, because it’s neutral. It’s a metal sculpture and it’s nothing else,’ explains Clément.

In terms of the current situation, he believes Notre Dame is more important to France in general as they put a lot of money in it. ‘However, if Notre Dame were to be destroyed, I think Paris would always be represented with the Eiffel Tower in the collective image,’ he adds.

In addition, he believes that young people find buildings like the Notre Dame less important. ‘First of all, Notre Dame is a religious symbol and today, the majority of French people are atheists or agnostics, which means they don’t know if God exists or not. Besides, Notre Dame remains a symbol that belongs to the intellectual elite,’ he clarifies.

Opinions on the cathedral and the restorations differ, but the historical and cultural legacy of the monument remain steadfast. Notre Dame is accessible for the public every day of the week and entry is completely free.