Five years ago, Notre-Dame Cathedral caught fire. A column of smoke rose above the rooftops of Paris as the historic cathedral, which took 182 years to build between the 12th and 14th centuries, was reduced to a smoking shell.
Yet against all odds, the Gothic masterpiece reopens on Saturday — and two Canadian blacksmiths played a role in its restoration.
Montreal blacksmith Mathieu Collette won't be able to travel to Paris to see the resurrected church before the summer, but he says he's grateful for his small part in the cathedral's history.
“I think I have a little place in heaven now,” he said in an interview Thursday.
After the fall of Notre Dame, Collette received a call from a fellow blacksmith working in Alsace, France, asking if he would like to fly to Europe to get involved in rebuilding Notre Dame.
Master blacksmith Mathieu Collette poses next to his forge at his workshop in Montreal, Wednesday, August 10, 2016.
Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Over four months in the fall of 2022, Collette and a team of seven young blacksmiths under his direction forged three different types of axes, making 60 axes in total. The axes were quickly distributed to carpenters who needed tools to carve the wooden roof frame, doing their best to mimic the original construction.
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Collette said experts are able to examine stone, wood and other materials and determine the tool originally used. In the case of the frame Collette was helping with, it was determined that three different types of axes had been used.
“Every time an ax was finished, it was sent to the carpenter,” he said. “We never had the opportunity to look at more than two or three finished axes at a time, because there were eight of us forging as many axes as possible each day. »
Collette, 49, has worked as a blacksmith for more than 30 years. In 1994, he moved to the southwest of France to apprentice with master blacksmiths, then returned to Quebec in 1998. He soon opened his own foundry with the help of his father. Over the years, he visited Notre Dame several times, stopping to marvel at its “incredible” door hinges.
“All the blacksmiths in the world ask themselves: 'How is it possible to do this?' “, he said in an interview.
Another Canadian blacksmith, Nicholas Patrick of Toronto, was also involved in the project, although Collette said he never crossed paths with Patrick.
In the aftermath of the cathedral fire in April 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron decreed that Notre-Dame would be resurrected in just five years – a deadline that initially intimidated the reconstruction's chief architect, Philippe Villeneuve.
Macron's decree became the driving force behind the most significant restoration in modern French history. The announcement sparked unprecedented global support, with donations quickly approaching $1 billion.
“I’ll just tip my hat to them and say everything went well and on time,” Collette said. “It’s amazing.”
A month after the fire, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Paris and offered Canadian steel and wood to France to help with the restoration.
“Canada will stand with France and make sure to offer all its support, whether it is steel, wood or any other assistance possible,” Trudeau said. “This is truly a piece – not just of French history – but of global history that must be preserved, and we will be there to be a part of it.” »
On Thursday, federal government officials were unable to confirm whether Canada had ultimately provided materials to help with the reconstruction.
The reopening will begin with invitation-only ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday, with heads of state and government, including Quebec Premier François Legault, visiting the French capital. Security measures will be strict, with the cathedral's island location closed to tourists.
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