Part of the cathedral’s northern belfry, a timber tower structure which holds the bells, was damaged by the fire of April 15, 2019 and needs to be restored.
To carry out the work, the tower’s eight bells first had to be removed. The operation was also an opportunity to clean the lead dust off them, check their condition and carry out necessary repair work on two of them which had been damaged by the heat.
Before removing the bells themselves, the bell specialists took down each of the clappers. They then installed a metal gantry at the top of the belfry, to which they attached a hoist in order to lift each bell with its headstock, the large wooden block that passes through its straps and carries the weight of the bell.
© Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris
They were then able to lower the bells one by one to the floor of the bell chamber. The only access is through narrow openings in the abat-sons and there is only one way to take the bells from the top of the tower down to the ground: a vertical route covering 50 m through three levels of vaults and floors fitted with trapdoors.
Using the same hoist system, the bell specialists lowered each bell down to the cathedral floor through the circular trapdoors.
The bells were then packed onto a truck to take them to the foundry where they will be restored before returning to their place in the cathedral ahead of its reopening in December 2024.
