At first glance, Paris’s famed Notre Dame cathedral has been looking good these days, with cleaned stonework, gorgeous windows, and plenty of visitors. But despite constant repair and restoration work, time, pollution and weather are constant threats.
Although the French government puts €2 million a year into maintenance, the group Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, sponsored by the Catholic diocese of Paris, is reaching out to American donors for more support in an attempt to keep up with damage, which includes headless gargoyles, missing stone balustrades, and other elements that have simply fallen off the building and are stored for restoration. The lead covering of the 90-metre tall spire is also wearing thin.
Notre-Dame, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, draws 12 to 14 million visitors a year, in addition to those who worship there regularly. For a TravelGumbo blog on the cathedral, click HERE
