Notre-Dame de Paris has not finished with the scaffolding. The public establishment Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris has announced a work program until 2033. The new thing is not that the cathedral remains under construction: since its reopening to worship and the public, interventions on its exterior parts have continued. It involves the formalization of an overall plan, costed at 150 million euros, of which 130 million remains to be raised, and the identification of the first two emblematic operations: the large western rose and the north facade of the transept.
The construction site which allowed the reopening had first responded to the emergency of the fire of April 15, 2019. After a backup phase completed in 2021, the work focused on the parts directly affected: spire of Viollet-le-Duc, frames, roofs, collapsed vaults, belfries, bells, large organ, interior decorations and stained glass windows. The Court of Auditors praised in 2025 a project carried out on time and within the planned budget. The restoration phase initiated from 2022 was estimated at 552 million euros.
Another phase of work remained. Long before the fire, Notre-Dame suffered from dirt, stone wear, structural damage and fragile stained glass windows. This third phase was therefore already scheduled. From 2025, the restoration of the bedside and its flying buttresses was initiated; in the spring of 2026, the 19th century sacristy in turn entered the perimeter. These operations, resulting from diagnoses prior to the disaster, must be completed by 2028-2029.
The public establishment has announced a dozen operations until 2033. From 2027, the large western rose, largely medieval and not restored since the 19th century, must be restored and protected by a glass roof. The intervention will treat old pathologies and the damage caused by an episode of hail in May 2025. The north facade of the transept, on the rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame side, will also be restored, with its very dirty medieval sculptures. The program also includes the north and south roses, the facades of the nave, their flying buttresses, the stained glass windows of the galleries and chapels, the exterior of the towers, their chimeras and the presbytery.
The national subscription made it possible to raise around 845 million euros. According to the Court of Auditors, at least 140 million remained available at the end of the work linked to the fire, subject to the agreement of major donors to allocate them to this third phase. This remainder made possible the first post-reopening operations, including the restoration of the apse, the flying buttresses and the presbytery, for an amount estimated at €51 million, but it does not cover the entire consolidated program. Rebuilding Notre-Dame launched an appeal to patrons and donors: of the 150 million needed for the new work, 130 million remains to be found. The public establishment, however, remains discreet about the cost of the various post-reopening works and those of this new phase.
