Whenever I visit the crypt, it seems as if I am walking through the history of the Ile de la Cité, the historic heart of Paris, from ancient times through the 19th-century.
“They preferred the gardens on higher ground!” “There was no food for them here,” said Robin. So today is an important moment, a very moving moment of renewal and hope for us.”įortunately, rats, which otherwise infest Paris, did not move into the crypt. Molds and micro-organisms spread, because we had to turn off the ventilation system. “It was terrible,” she said of the effect of the fire on the crypt. (The plaza, which has been car-free for some time, reopened to the public at the end of May.) At more than 19,000 square feet, it is the largest crypt in Europe and includes archaeological discoveries made during excavations between 19 to prepare for the construction of a parking lot on the open plaza in front of the cathedral’s main entrance. The crypt has been one of Paris’s hidden jewels ever since it opened to the public in 1980. Remnants of historical structures in the Notre-Dame crypt “We are paying homage to the cathedral after all that has confronted Paris, from the tragedy of the fire to the crisis of the pandemic,” said Sylvie Robin, chief curator of the crypt, who helped organize the exhibit. The crypt celebrated the opening with an exhibition on the two 19th-century men who helped restore the 850-year-old medieval monument to greatness: the novelist Victor Hugo and the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. In a sign that the universe of Notre-Dame Cathedral is returning to life, the archaeological crypt that sits under its courtyard reopened today-for the first time since flames devoured the cathedral’s roof and toppled its spire in April last year.īefore the crypt could reopen, masses of toxic lead dust from the fire had to be removed, ancient stones cleaned, ventilation systems vacuumed, lighting and interactive programs reorganized, molds eliminated and anti-Covid measures imposed, including rules for physical distancing, mask-wearing, touching interactive screens and limitations on the number of visitors.
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