The restoration work inside Notre Dame cathedral is ramping up.
Less than two years before the grand reopening, Notre Dame’s exceptional stained glass windows and paintings,
which were spared by the flames that ravaged the monument back in April 2019, are now being given a fresh look.
This past spring, eight workshops of master glassmakers and artistic locksmiths were selected across France
and entrusted with the cleaning and restoration of the cathedral’s stained glass windows.
“This is the first time they have been cleaned since … they were laid in the 19th century, 150 years ago,
” president of the Manufacture Vincent-Petit and restorer Flavie Vincent-Petit revealed to ABC News.
Located in the city of Troyes, Vincent-Petit’s workshop has been awarded
the cleaning and restoration of the stained glass windows of eight high bays.
“[Notre Dame] represents all the French and European medieval culture of the Middle Ages
and how finally all these European nations were built around a spiritual impulse,”
Vincent-Petit told ABC News, adding “It is extremely positive to be able to participate in the reconstruction.”
After months of preparatory work -- including decontamination against lead due to fire,
documentation and restoration tests -- the restorers are only now starting the delicate
and arduous cleaning and restoration process.