Fire-damaged rooster from Notre-Dame's spire goes on display
[PARIS] A battered copper rooster that used to sit atop the spire of Notre-Dame Cathedral is to go on public display more than five months after the massive fire that almost burnt the iconic building to the ground.
The rooster was one of several culturally-important artefacts salvaged after the fire, on April 15 2019, which destroyed the cathedral's spire and much of its roof.
"It was one of the symbols of Notre-Dame de Paris and is even more so now," French Culture Minister Franck Riester told reporters on Friday.
"(The rooster) has been scarred by the fire. It was heated and then it fell, something which triggers another debate: should we restore it or leave it like it is, as a witness on what happened on April 15 ?".
The rooster will go on display in Paris this weekend as part of European Heritage Days, in which sites of cultural interest open their doors to the public.
Asked if the cathedral as a whole could be restored in five years' time, as French President Emmanuel Macron promised, Mr Riester said that remained the aim but added that the work would not be rushed.
Mr Riester also said Notre-Dame was still not entirely secured and that a thorough study was underway to establish the type of permanent damage the fire left on the structure of the cathedral.
REUTERS
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Lifestyle
Former Zouk morphs into mod-Asian Jiak Kim House, serving laksa pasta and mushroom bak kut teh
Massimo Bottura lends star power to pizza and pasta at Torno Subito
Victor Liong pairs Aussie and Asian food with mixed results at Artyzen’s Quenino restaurant
If Jay Chou likes Ju Xing’s zi char, you might too
Mod-Sin cooking izakaya style at Focal
What the fish? Diving for flavour at Fysh – Aussie chef Josh Niland’s Singapore debut