Emmanuel Macron vows to reconstruct Notre Dame within five years

French President wants the Paris cathedral open in time for the 2024 Olympics

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  View of the Notre-Dame Cathedral towers from the forecourt in Paris. EPA

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  Pressure rises on French authorities after an NGO files a lawsuit accusing them of failing to quickly contain the risks of lead poisoning after the fire that ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris last April. AFP

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  This file photo taken on July 17, 2019 shows damage on the nave and rubble during preliminary work in the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral three months after a major fire in Paris. AFP

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  The service entrance of the construction site of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The yard has been stopped since analyzes proving an excessive presence of lead and the risks taken by the workers three months after the Cathedral was badly damaged by a huge fire last April. EPA

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  A worker sprays an anti lead decontamination treatment at the St Benoit Elementary School in Paris, France. EPA

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  Workers have started decontaminating some Paris schools tested with unsafe levels of lead following the blaze at the Notre Dame Cathedral, as part of efforts to protect children from risks of lead poisoning. AP photo

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  Worker directs a mechanical shovel grabbing pieces of destroyed surfacing to gather up the lead particles in the school yard of Saint Benoit primary school in Paris, France. AP photo

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  A worker holds a canvas bag as he takes part in a clean-up operation at Saint Benoit school near Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris during a decontamination operation over lead poisoning fears. AFP

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  A worker sprays a gel on the ground to absorb lead as he takes part in a clean-up operation at Saint Benoit school near Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris during a decontamination operation. AFP

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  Paris officials moved to downplay the risk of lead poisoning from the massive fire that tore through Notre-Dame Cathedral in April, as tests continue to show worrying levels of the toxic metal at nearby schools. AFP

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  A worker stands next to asphalt waste materials as he takes part in a clean-up operation at Saint Benoit school. AFP

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  This picture taken on August 6, 2019 shows asphalt waste materials during a clean-up operation over lead poisoning fears at Saint Benoit school. AFP

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  An excavator removes the ground of Saint Benoit elementary school on August 8, 2019 during a clean-up operation over lead poisoning fears. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to reconstruct Notre-Dome Cathedral on time, 12 months since large parts of the Paris landmark were destroyed in a devastating blaze that shook France.

Mr Macron’s pledge to rebuild the cathedral within five years, already seen as overly optimistic by experts, has been made harder by the coronavirus onset, which suspended reconstruction works.

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  The Emmanuel bell of Notre-Dame Cathedral, 1685 was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. Photo: Getty Images

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  Statue in Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. Descent of the Cross. Getty

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  This file photo taken on February 1, 2004 shows the organ of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, one of the most famous in the World. Photo: AFP

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  Sculpture representing Saint Theresa of the Baby Jesus (Alencon, 1873 ­ Lisieux, 1897), French nun, canonised in 1925, Basilica of Notre-Dame of Montreal. Photo: Getty

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  The Catholic cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, on the edges of the Seine on September 20, 2015 in Paris, France. Photo: Getty Images

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  Kings’ Gallery, Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. Getty

More than 17,000 people have been killed in France by the pandemic, which has “usurped” the lives and thoughts of the French people Mr Macron said. The sole commemoration on Wednesday was a bell in the building’s south tower ringing out at 8pm on Wednesday.

"We will reconstruct the Notre-Dame in five years, I promised. We will do everything to meet this deadline. Yes, construction is at a halt for the moment due to the health crisis, but it will resume as soon as possible," Mr Macron said in a video message.

"If the restoration of Notre-Dame is important to us all, it is clearly also because it is a symbol of the resilience of our people, of their ability to overcome trials, and to recover."

He has pledged to get the cathedral, which saw its steeple fall and roof ablaze, back up and running by the Paris Olympics in 2024.

More than 300 tonnes of lead from the roof melted in the blaze, covering the site in toxic particles.

The fragile structure remains at risk, and massive wooden beams are propping up the arches and gables.