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Notre-Dame digital twin
After the fire that engulfed Notre-Dame de Paris on April 15, 2019, a scientific reconstruction effort created a “digital twin” of the cathedral that collected and linked all the data produced into “a shared archive of knowledge and a model for the future preservation of heritage.”
“AP exclusive: Under Notre Dame cathedral, a ‘dig of the century’ unearths 1,700 years of history AP exclusive: Under Notre Dame cathedral, a ‘dig of the century’ unearths 1,700 years of history PARIS (AP) — Wilting in the summer sun, a line of tourists waits to climb Notre Dame cathedral and meet its gargoyles”
Il Resto del Carlino says the research involved more than two hundred scholars from diverse disciplines, including archaeologists and art historians, and that the results will be presented on Friday from 9:30 to 18:30 in the Sala Stabat Mater of the Archiginnasio.
La Repubblica reports that the University of Bologna’s Department of Architecture collaborated with the CNRS French laboratory MAP (Models and Simulations for Architecture and Heritage) to realize a digital replica of the cathedral, with the work “now concluded” and scheduled for the study day “Notre-Dame de Paris – Nuove conoscenze tra storia, archeologia e restauro.”
La Repubblica also quotes Fabrizio Ivan Apollonio, director of the Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università di Bologna, saying, “L’Università di Bologna ha contribuito alla digitalizzazione delle forme e dei colori di un elemento architettonico della cattedrale, a lungo ritenuto perduto.”
Jubé rediscovered
Alongside the digital work, the sources say the restoration and scientific campaign recovered the jubé, described as “a 13th-century Gothic structure destroyed in the 18th century.”
Patrimonio Culturale Emilia-Romagna reports that the jubé was rediscovered with “oltre mille frammenti scultorei,” adding that “700 con policromia originale” were found, revealing what it calls “l’eccezionale qualità pittorica medievale.”
Il Resto del Carlino says the jubé fragments were found under the floor and that “more than a thousand sculptural fragments were found under the floor, many still with their original colors.”
La Repubblica frames the jubé as a “struttura gotica del XIII secolo” that was destroyed in the Settecento and says numerous sculptural fragments were recovered, many still preserving the original policromia.
Research, access, and dates
The study day is scheduled for Friday 31 October, with sessions “dalle 9.30 alle 18.30” at the Sala Stabat Mater della Biblioteca dell’Archiginnasio, and La Repubblica says it will be possible to follow the interventions “anche in diretta streaming.”
“More than a year after France's famed Notre Dame reopened to the public, an archaeological exploration delving into thousands of years of the history of Paris and dubbed by some as the "dig of the century" has begun just metres below the cathedral's ground floor”
Patrimonio Culturale Emilia-Romagna describes a “lavoro titanico di oltre cinque anni” with the participation of “oltre duemila artigiani,” and says it was supported by a scientific site set up by the Ministero della Cultura francese and the CNRS.
Wandsworth Times and The Independent both describe an archaeological excavation under Notre Dame that began after the 2019 fire and is tied to plans to revitalize the forecourt, with The Independent saying the excavation is unfolding “just four metres beneath their feet.”
Wandsworth Times quotes Lucie Altenburg, a conservator with the Paris archaeology unit, saying, “It’s a rare opportunity for us to work on something that’s tangibly going to make a difference to the history of Paris,” while The Independent quotes Emily Carter, 34, a tourist from Manchester, saying, “It makes Notre Dame feel alive again.”
