French oak trees, standing for hundreds of years in the once royal forest of Bercé, now carry a particularly sacred mission. The architectural and forestry masters of the Administration of President Emmanuel Macron decided to choose these old oak trees to rebuild the fire-collapsed bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral – a symbol history, religion and culture are likened to the heart of France.
Effort from ashes
Recently, the international media has reported very boldly that France has chosen the “standard material” to rebuild the completely damaged dome, arrow tower and bell tower of Notre Dame . This can be considered as one of the most happy signals because the fire disaster of Notre Dame took place on April 15, 2019 has caused not only the French people but the whole world in shock and pain. Accordingly, about 1,000 old oak trees in more than 200 public and private forests were cut down at the end of March. “Oak trees will be selected from all parts of France,” said Jean-Louis Georgelin, former Chief of Staff of the French Army assigned to the special agency to oversee the repair of Notre Dame . This is a country-wide project. The restoration will ensure the building can stand for at least 8 to 10 centuries ”. To take such practical steps, the French government had to go through many challenges from recruiting experts, finding restoration materials and listening to people’s reactions. In July 2020, in the context of fierce public opposition, French President Emmanuel Macron had to reject the idea that the bell tower designed by Eugène Viollet le Duc could be rebuilt in concrete to limit dust. radioactivity, if unfortunately there is a fire. After that, Mr. Macron announced, Notre Dame will be rebuilt like before. And this kicked off the hunt for woods across France, culminating in a thorough selection in January and February. According to experts, the reconstruction of Notre Dame in wood is a difficult prospect because inside this ancient building is a “network of complex wooden beams”. Specifically, 52 acres of forest wood were cut in the twelfth century to erect the church’s roof and each beam was made from a tree trunk. However, Mr. Jean-Louis Georgelin asserted: “This is historical responsibility. If everyone gets to work together and everything is well planned, bringing the church back in within the next five years will not be an impossible feat. ” 
Expected, Notre Dame will begin to be restored in the fall of 2022. Source: Reuters. In order to race against time and limit errors, the Notre Dame restoration specialists had to work very seriously and meticulously. This is reflected in the first stage including the selection and processing of wood. The oaks with this historic mission must meet the standards of quality and outstanding metrics, such as the trunk must be more than 1 meter in diameter and have a minimum length of 18 meters. In addition, they must be “harvested” by the end of March to avoid more sap production and wet weather that can degrade the quality of the wood. In particular, the “soul” of Notre Dame including the bell tower and the 93-meter-high arrow-top will be reconstructed with eight oak trees cut from the royal forest of Bercé, which once belonged to the French kings. When examining a series of oak trees over 200 years old in the Bercé forest, Aymeric Albert, Commercial Director of the French Forestry Commission, commented: “The trunks here are in excellent condition, without any any defect. They are large enough to be 18m long beams, the length needed if you want to bear the weight of the sharp tower. It is known that the oak trunks in the Bercé forest cost about 15,000 euros / stem, and will be dried for 12 to 18 months before proceeding with further treatment. In addition, after the planned timber is cut, the forest rangers will plant seedlings to replant the new trees. It is expected that the restoration of Notre Dame will start in the autumn of 2022 and be completed in April 2024. The mission of solidarity The Church has always been at the center of social change, Insider said. This may not be “always true” but is extremely accurate in the case of France. Immediately after President Emmanuel Macron announced a fundraising campaign to rebuild Notre Dame, many individuals and organizations in France and around the world voiced their support both financially as well as participating in the restoration of architecture. . Just two days after the fire, the fund’s donation exceeded a billion dollars. This is also the estimated cost to restore Notre Dame in the most aesthetic and quality way. This fact shows that, at that time, France, a people more divided than ever since World War II due to the many months of “Golden Vest” protests, became should unite in a common mission. Michel Druilhe, President of the French forest network France Bois Forêt said: “As the largest cathedral in the heart of France with a long history in the world, we are very pleased with the staff in the forestry sector. Industry, from the woodcutter to the sawmakers, was mobilized to join hands in rebuilding Notre Dame. This is a very meaningful job ”. President Macron also declared: “It is up to us to turn this terrible disaster into unanimous opportunity … This is not the time for politics”. Back at the time of the fire at Notre Dame, according to a statement from the French Government, the fire happened at around 6:50 a.m. on April 15, 2019 local time (23h50 ‘on April 15, 2019, Hanoi time. ) at the top of the tower, then spread to the entire roof of the church. Disaster caused the bell tower to collapse, and devastate the roof of this famous Gothic-style building. However, things could have gotten worse and Notre Dame could have been completely burned down if the Paris firefighters arrived 15-30 minutes later. Precious items include the Crown of Thorns – believed to have been worn on Jesus’ head during the events that led to his crucifixion; The Le Grand Orgue – a musical instrument dating back to the 1730s and the XIII century robe of Saint Louis were both saved from the fire. Obviously, if the fire and bravery of the firefighters were able to prevent a more horrifying disaster for this project, at present, the consensus and efforts of the government, the people as well as French architects and experts bring hope for a Notre Dame of cohesion and peace. Affordable, in the future, the pricelessness of Notre Dame will be “redefined” by the solidarity of everyone !? Notre Dame Cathedral Paris Notre Dame is located on the island of Cite in the middle of the Seine in the center of Paris. This special geographical location has made Notre Dam become a historical symbol, associated with the formation and development of Paris. In 1163, the first stone was placed in the presence of Pope Alexander III and King Louis VI. The construction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Gothic style lasted until 1345 with the participation of many famous architects at that time such as Jean de Chelles, Pierre de Montreuil, Pierre de Chelles, Jean Ravy and Jean. le Bouteiller. Notre Dame witnessed the coronation of King Henry VI in 1431, the coronation of Emperor Napoleon in 1804, and the canonization of the French heroine Joan of Arc in 1909, presided over by Pope Pius X. Funerals of the two late French Presidents Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterand also took place at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It is known that Notre Dame was the place with the highest chop in Paris until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. According to the BBC, there are no other landmarks that represent France in a separate and unique way like Notre Dame. Maybe you don’t know? The flag of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam once flew at the top of the bell tower of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It happened on the night of January 19, 1969, the day before Richard Nixon was sworn in as the 37th President of the United States and six days before the opening of the Paris four-way conference, negotiating peace in Vietnam. It is known that French police had to mobilize helicopters to remove the flag. There hasn’t been any official source yet to confirm who hung the flag. However, this can be considered as one of the special images throughout the 9-century history of this architecture.
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