Philippe Villeneuve, the architect who brought Notre-Dame de Paris back to life

The tip of the arrow of Notre-Dame de Paris is visible on his wrist. It’s difficult, in this restaurant adjoining the cathedral, to ask him to roll up his sleeve to admire the rest of the tattoo, which runs up to his shoulder, as well as the large rose tattooed on his chest. What does it matter! Philippe Villeneuve’s marked skin proves the carnal bond that unites the chief architect to “his” monument.

After spending five intense years at his bedside, where he put himself on hold from “real life”, he will soon “hand over the keys” to whomever it may concern. Symbolically, he will leave a kingdom over which he reigned, in order to make way for masses and crowds. The syndrome of post-partum watches for him; at the very least a decompression shot, he who is known for riding roller coasters.

Read the file
Notre-Dame de Paris: five years after the disaster, the reopening is approaching

Marathon of ceremonies and masses

For now, when he has just left the nave of Notre Dame, he only has the word « Magnificent » to the mouth. The restored blondeness of the walls, chapels enhanced with color, redone paving stones, brilliantly closed vaults… Everything in this restoration seems successful. « I love the contemporary altar designed by the artist Guillaume Bardet. Like the monolith in the film 2001 A Space Odyssey, by Stanley Kubrick, it can equally represent God, spirit or intelligence », he enthuses. The marathon of sequences linked to the reopening, which will start during the presidential visit on November 29 and end with masses at the beginning of December for companions and patrons, delights him in advance – he plans to be there for all parties.

Notre-Dame de Paris, the object of all his admiration since his childhood, and of which a large model sits in his apartment, holds a special place in his life. She structured it, literally. Did he not say, on the evening of the fire of April 15, 2019, that « the 50 year old child man » that he had been until then, had suddenly collapsed?

Bold deadline

In a somewhat brazen manner, he claims today to have never doubted that five years to restore the cathedral was a reasonable time frame, “as long as we know what to do.” Pushed to his limits, he still admits to having found “bold” this delay played like a poker game by the President of the Republic, on the evening of the fire.

Nobody, even today, knows who told Emmanuel Macron this figure, but it is not Philippe Villeneuve. From April 16, in front of a few stunned companies, he nevertheless began to draw on a board the main stages of a five-year project. « He had the whole plan in mind, it was impressive », says one of the witnesses.

The honesty aims to say that Philippe Villeneuve had his moments of doubt. Not so much on the origins of the fire, since he never suspected the companies of having failed. “I did my investigation, they had nothing to reproach themselves for, I trusted them and we moved forward” he says. Over the years, it is rather the lead contamination of the site, the gusts of wind, the health crisis, the hesitations around a restoration of the spire which may have put pressure on the teams.

The brotherhood has never failed, the companies have been loyal, and everything has rested on that

In 2022, the construction site was buzzing with rumors, and many people thought they would not get there in time. The chief architect, who has a little soupy side, will have become agitated, thundered, taken unexpected days off, demanded that we listen to him, denounced the carelessness of one then the other . At his side between 2019 and 2023, General Georgelin, another strong-mouthed personality, appreciated him, even admired him, while making a mark on him. Who, between the architect and the president of the public establishment for the restoration of the cathedral, was the real boss? Philippe Jost, who succeeded the general after his tragic death, will be more discreet. He will respect the architect for his intimate knowledge of the monument, and in the final stretch, these two were able to get along.

A brotherhood on the construction site

After the hazards, things got done, the difficulties were overcome. Alongside Philippe Villeneuve, Rémi Fromont focused on the frames and Pascal Prunet focused on the vaulting project. The trio of architects, with their own personality, brought hundreds of companies behind them. “The fraternity has never failed, the companies have been loyal, and everything has rested on that,” welcomes Philippe Villeneuve. The work took place under good auspices, the 846 million euros collected having made it possible to put oil in many of the wheels. On site, the atmosphere, described by everyone as collective, galvanized everyone. “ For 5 years, we were all mixed, regardless of ranks, colors and religion », assures the architect. At midday, the surrounding cafes and restaurants, including Quasimodo and Bougnat, saw compact groups of companions pouring in, drinking to the health of the “construction site of the century”. Philippe Villeneuve was the last to raise his glass of white wine.

On the morning of December 9, for the first time in five years, the latter will not take the path to the “life base”, a temporary building linked to the construction site. Then, in principle, work on the facade or the sacristy should resume in spring 2025 and occupy it until retirement. He knows well, in any case, that these five exceptional years would not have been duplicable elsewhere. Restoring Notre-Dame is the work of a lifetime.

« It was in part the fire of April 15 which made Notre-Dame de Paris, or at least, which confirmed its place as the world’s cathedral. This place of power and sacredness has a special aura that no other cathedral has. », he believes. He will still have to meditate on the life, the fire and the sudden death of the general having convinced him that « everything was vanity ».