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Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit, second from right, attends the Washing of the Feet ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral on Maundy Thursday, almost two years after a massive fire ravaged the Gothic cathedral in Paris. Christophe Ena/Associated Press

PARIS — The rector of Notre Dame said Friday that the burned-out Paris cathedral and its esplanade could remain a building site for another “15 or 20 years.”

Rector Patrick Chauvet spoke to The Associated Press following Good Friday ceremonies, including venerating the “Crown of Thorns” at Notre Dame’s temporary liturgical base, the nearby church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois.

He added that: “I can guarantee that there’s work to do!”

In the days following the April 15, 2019, blaze that engulfed Paris’ Gothic gem, French President Emmanuel Macron set a five-year restoration deadline for 2024, when Paris is to host the Summer Olympics. But French officials quickly backpedaled Macron’s statement, conceding that it was unrealistic to complete the enormous project by that time.

The blaze also distributed vast amounts of toxic lead from the cathedral’s burned-out roof onto the site and nearby, complicating the cleanup work that came before restoration efforts could even begin.

Work planned includes remodeling the cathedral’s esplanade, which before the blaze was visited every year by 20 million tourists.


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