Beneath Notre Dame Cathedral Archaeologists Discover More than 1,000 Artifacts and Statues
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Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris has reopened, and all the West rejoices with her.
However, during the extensive restoration, a team of archaeologists was allowed to dig under the foundations as far as the anchor points of the scaffolding, under a French law that allows archaeological digs to occur for preservation of what may lie underfoot.
Scientists can dig “to detect and undertake the scientific study of archaeological remains (on land and underwater) that might otherwise be destroyed by land development work,” according to the law, and the remains, in this case, proved to be 100 graves, and 1,000 statue fragments along with valuable insights into the foundational layers of the famous building.
Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris has reopened, and all the West rejoices with her.
However, during the extensive restoration, a team of archaeologists was allowed to dig under the foundations as far as the anchor points of the scaffolding, under a French law that allows archaeological digs to occur for preservation of what may lie underfoot.
Scientists can dig “to detect and undertake the scientific study of archaeological remains (on land and underwater) that might otherwise be destroyed by land development work,” according to the law, and the remains, in this case, proved to be 100 graves, and 1,000 statue fragments along with valuable insights into the foundational layers of the famous building.
Christophe Besnier and his team from INRAP believe more of the screen’s remains lie buried under the choir itself, which was outside the scope of his dig site. The whole excavation was on a time crunch as President Emanuel Macron was urgently trying to have the monument reopened for the Olympics.
Weeks turned to months, and the excavations continued as frantically as digging under one the most sensitive and ancient structures in the country could possibly be allowed to be.
Charred remains of the earliest wooden beams show how the original constructions employed 49-feet-long, 100-year-old oak trees hand-cut and notched with special holds for ropes which would have bound them together as they floated down the Seine to the small island where the cathedral is located.
Also found were heavy iron clamps, 10 to 20 inches long used to bind certain stones together which date to the earliest construction periods of Notre Dame at around 1160 CE. This makes it the first Gothic cathedral in Europe to use iron as a building material.
THE REST OF THE STORY: Rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral Takes Leap Forward as the Majestic Spire Is Pieced Together
For now, the rest of the rood screen will remain under the newly-reopened building, and no mission to recover them is in the works as the nation would like the public to enjoy its beloved and iconic cathedral without disruption.
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