Notre Dame chief architect told to ‘shut his mouth’ on reconstruction

November 15, 2019 3oliver

Written by Jack Guy, CNNBarbara Wojazer, CNN

Debate over how best to rebuild Notre Dame has rumbled on since the landmark cathedral suffered a devastating fire in April.

Now things have got heated between Jean-Louis Georgelin, the French President’s special representative for the reconstruction of the cathedral, and chief architect Philippe Villeneuve.

“I have asked to him (Villeneuve) a few times… to shut his mouth so that we can move forward wisely to serenely make the best choices for Notre Dame,” Georgelin said during a meeting Wednesday.

Villeneuve has previously said the Notre Dame spire should be rebuilt as it was before the devastating fire — a view with which Georgelin plainly doesn’t agree.

In April, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced an international architects’ competition to rebuild the fallen spire of the cathedral.

France says Notre Dame must be restored exactly the way it was

Debate has

British girl sends €3 to Notre Dame appeal

In April Macron said that when it is rebuilt, it should be “even more beautiful.”

But some have criticized the shorttime line as a political ploy.

Restoration expert Frédéric Létoffé said he thinks it could take longer, at around “10 to 15 years.”

CNN’s Gabrielle Sorto contributed to this report.