The vaulting of the north transept has proved to be structurally sound. It was protected by a layer of plaster and the fact that the roof beams of the two transepts dated from the 19th century and were much lighter than those of the nave’s medieval roof may have helped contain any damage.
The state of the nave vaulting will now be assessed, and to speed this up, two temporary sliding roofs (parapluies roulants), one for the nave and one for the choir, will be installed over the wooden platform recently positioned above the vaults. The transept crossing presents particular difficulties because this is where the roof and the vaults completely collapsed during the fire, leaving parts of the roof beams hanging. These could fall down and further damage the building.
This image is embedded in ...
- Notre Dame enters a new and high-risk phase in its restoration, Tuesday, December 31, 2019 - 09:22