On the south arm of the transept, the stonemasons are re-installing the gargoyles and chimeras replicated like-for-like by the sculptors.
Some of these decorative elements were too fragile and damaged to remain in place and were removed just after the fire.
In the dedicated workshop set up at the foot of the cathedral, the sculptors made copies of the original statues and proposed complementary features to the architects to restore them to their initial state.
Depending on their condition, some of them were entirely re-carved while others only needed lost features to be re-made, such as this head, which were then joined to the original sculpture with a rod.
It is now time for these sculptures to return to the cathedral’s facades, at the foot of the rebuilt gable walls, where they will stand the test of time for centuries to come.
Did you know? The gargoyles are sculptural features that serve as a spout to project rainwater away from the cathedral walls. Most of them date from the time of the construction of the cathedral. The chimeras, on the other hand, were purely decorative elements whose design was based on the gargoyles. Many of them were installed at the time of Viollet-le-Duc. All these sculptures compose a truly fantastic bestiary!
