Notre Dame's melted scaffold to be removed in 'coming weeks'

The scaffolding atop Notre-Dame Cathedral, which got melted and twisted in the infamous fire in April, will be removed in the ‘coming weeks’, said France’s culture minister Franck Riester. The removal is aimed to allow the restoration process to begin. Riester, while giving an update on the restoration effort, said that the conservation work would take several months. He also denied the allegations of slow recognition of the threat of melted lead from the cathedral’s roof saying regular samples were taken from the area to keep a check.

Restoration of a royal tapestry

In September, a rare royal tapestry, rescued from Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, was restored and became ready for public display. Days after the fire at the cathedral, the tapestry was evacuated from the blackened interior of the gothic monument and was stored in two parts in trunks. Those trunks protected the water-logged rug from the molten lead falling from the roof. Even after it was rescued from the cathedral, the tapestry had already soaked up huge amounts of water and increased its weight by thrice.

Read: Paris: Notre-Dame Tapestry Restored After Evacuation From Cathedral

Later, it was then handed over to France's Mobilier National, which oversees the country's collection of valuable furniture and artworks, for restoring the relic. The restorers used a wind tunnel to help dry the tapestry and then freeze it to kill off any fungi and parasites that might eat away at the weaving. But before bringing it to the Mobilier National, it was loaded into a large container whose temperature was gradually lowered to -35 degrees Celsius over a 24-hour period. The tapestry still shows traces of humidity and other stains, along with some moth damage and rips in the weave.

Read: Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral Celebrates First Mass Since Devastating April Fire

Donations and fraud

In April, after the fire in the cathedral was doused, donations poured in from around the world, from ordinary worshippers to high-powered magnets. But, as per foreign media reports, it had also opened gates for fraudsters to fool donors into handing over cash and taking advantage of the tragic incident. It was reported that the scamsters unleashed their plots, falsely claiming they were helping to rebuild the centuries-old cathedral.

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(With Inputs from AP)