I love cathedrals in Europe; architectural masterpieces of stone and stained glass. The iconic cathedral of Paris is Notre Dame. When fire severely damaged and nearly destroyed the church in April 2019, I was moved more than I expected as I watched the fire burn through the roof and topple the spire before it was gradually brought under control thanks to the Herculean effort of the Paris fire department.

In the weeks and months that followed, a massive, incredibly complex effort got underway to stabilize the remaining structure, recover surviving art and artifacts, clear the rubble, and restore the church. We made a trek to Notre Dame to check on the progress of the restoration.

Hundreds of workers with all kinds of special skills are employed in the recovery effort, and that story is told on the construction barrier surrounding the church. On one side, there are images accompanied by text filled with description and statistics. For example, there more than 40 companies with workers offering different skills have been working on the site. One set of skills is provided by the “rope access technicians,” who work in teams, suspended by ropes, to build scaffolding, clean, remove or replace parts of burned material, and undertake any necessary other work on the roof, steeples, and spires.

A statistic: more than 1,500 oak trees between 150 and 200 years old will have to fall to replace the wood lost in the blaze.

In front of the church, the work to save the cathedral is told graphic-book style. It was an interesting exhibit, the effort to make the recovery work understandable to a broad audience should be applauded.

If all goes well, the restoration will be completed enough for the cathedral to re-open to the public by the end of next year.