This week, the work site welcomed back sixteen special guests: the statues of the spire.
The statues had been removed a few days before the fire and were restored in a workshop by metalworkers, coppersmiths, and patina finishers. They have been on display at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine since 2021, awaiting their return to the new spire in early summer 2025.
What do these statues represent?
Twelve of the statues on the spire are human figures: the Apostles. Among them, the statue of Saint Thomas, patron saint of architects, has the face of Viollet-le-Duc.
The other four statues represent the Tetramorph, or the four Evangelists in the form of winged figures, with which they are usually associated: a lion for Saint Mark, a bull for Saint Luke, an eagle for Saint John, and an angel for Saint Matthew.
