Episode 14 - The Fire of Notre Dame, What We Know 7 Years Later

Seven years ago this week, a moment few will ever forget. At 6:18 pm on Monday, April 15, 2019, flames erupted in the roof of the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, and over the following hours, the 12th- and 13th-century forest would be destroyed.

In 7 years, the cathedral came close to destruction and underwent a Renaissance that would return Notre Dame to the 19th century.  Without the fire, you and I, your children, and even your grandchildren would never have seen what was revealed after the restoration. 

While we still don't have an official cause of the fire, there is a lot that I have recently found that leads to some very possible conclusions.

I will also share where they are in the restoration and what is yet to be done over the next five years. 

Tune in for all the details and check ClaudineHemingway.com

Transcript

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Bonjour, bonjour everybody, and welcome to episode 14 of Paris in Blue, Blanc, Rouge. Episode 14 on April 14th. Couldn't even plan that if I tried, but I wanted to share today with you uh the story of an event that few could forget about that happened seven years ago tomorrow. I can't believe it's been seven years. What a lot crazy seven years it's been. But of course, if you know, it was the fire of Notre Dame. So that happened on April 15th, 2019. And I'm gonna share with you a lot of details, maybe some details you've never heard before, including the location of where the fire started. So I'm gonna share a bunch of stuff with you. Uh I have uncovered a bunch of things that uh relate to the days and months leading up to it, the security, the fire system itself, everything, where we are today and what is coming up. And uh I can't wait to share all of it with you. There's so many things that I've uh learned, and I just was giving a tour today around uh the Twileries and the Palais Royale, and I spent part of the time just talking about Notre Dame and the things that I learned because it's really interesting. I also think uh Notre Dame uh and the lead there is is the culprit for why I got cancer. But um, well, you know, I won't hold it against her. I still love her. But uh let's jump in. And so I want to make sure also listen to the end because this week, opening tomorrow, is going to be a new exhibit at the Louvre about Michelangelo and Rodin. And I got to see a sneak peek of it before it opened to the public, and I'll share a little bit of that with you too. Um, it's it's fantastic, so you're definitely gonna want to see it. So, as I said, seven years ago this week, it's a moment few will ever forget. I think it's our kind of our generation, uh is, you know, everybody remembers the where they were for things like Pearl Harbor, 9-11, and I think Notre Dame is definitely one of those events that people could say, I remember exactly where I was, anything that happened. Um and so it's just one of those moments that I think stick in everybody's mind. And uh it's definitely a moment I will never forget. And uh it's still just amazing today that seven years later we could go inside and visit and stand there, and she looks like she did before. So it's really fantastic. Seven years ago this week, a moment we will never forget. At 6 18 PM on Monday, April 15th, 2019, the flames erupted in the roof of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, and over the next few hours, the 12th and 13th century forest roof would be destroyed. When the fire struck, the cathedral was just about to begin a restoration on the 19th century spire. In a stroke of luck, the 16 statues that lined the roof were removed on April 11th for restoration, and the scaffolding was built that would soon become a glowing web of melted metal. In the last seven years, no definitive cause of the fire has been identified. After the theft of the crown jewels from the Louvre, which we will go into more detail next week, multiple investigations and audits were conducted through the Louvre from every angle. This wasn't done for the fire of Notre Dame. However, a few detailed reports have been uncovered, giving us a closer look and a glimpse into what actually happened that April evening. The Cathedral Notre Dame du Paris is governed by several entities. It's owned by the state and it's managed by the Ministry of Culture, the DRAC, and the Catholic Diocese. In 2010, the Ministry of Culture asked Benjamin Mouton, the cathedral's chief architect, with installing a new fire system. By 2014, Siemens had installed the system, which included more than 160 smoke detectors that communicated with a complex security panel located in the presbytery on the bedside of the cathedral. What did they skimp on for the project, you might ask? Well, that was sprinklers and any firestop partitions deemed unnecessary by the architect. The DRAC, which is the Regional Cultural Affairs Department, oversees the fire alarm system that was installed. The system itself covered four spaces that included the roof, the crypt, the towers, and the presbytery, although multiple locations were covered within the four zones. A security staff member was to sit in front of the large panel controlling the system of the 160 smoke detectors. After the installation, the DRAC awarded the contract to maintain the fire system to elitists that is located in the south of France rather than to a company of Paris. When there was a problem, a subcontractor was used since they didn't have an office located in Paris. From the installation, malfunctions and false alarms were recurring issues without a quick solution. In the months before the dreadful day, the alarms of the tower and on the roof sounded more than a dozen times a day, prompting the DRAC to place the system in standby. A guard went on record to say when we reported malfunctions to our boss who was in charge of passing each alarm to the Ministry of Culture, it often caused tensions, so we reported them less and less. Staff for the Elite Security didn't even want to work at Notre Dame, saying it was too dangerous and frustrating. The security system itself was complex and difficult to understand, with codes for every sensor that were hard for guards that had worked there for years to understand. On April 15th, the guard on site had been at work since 7 a.m. It was only his third day of work after two days of training and had yet to even visit the roof structure. His relief would have taken over at 3 30 p.m. and had called in six, requiring him to work a double 16-hour day. Now I'm going to go into the moment by moment of the fire, of breaking it down, um, put together by a couple reports that I found. One report was just crazy how detailed it was, um, including, as you'll know, I'll share with you even this the code that came out. So again, April 15th, it was a sunny and beautiful Monday in Paris at 6 p.m. on the first weekday of Holy Week. The nave below was filled with more than a thousand people. It started like any other mass with the cathedral priest delivering the sermon. At 6 18 p.m. in the Presbytery Security Office, the alarm rang out with the code ZDA-110-3-15-1 and the message fire roof knave sacristy. The elitist security guard contacted the cathedral security, Jean-Paul B. and gave him the message. Earlier I mentioned there were four zones of the security system. Both the sacristy and their presbytery were in separate buildings from the cathedral, but the sacristy where the treasury is held is within the roof zone of the system, meaning also includes the roof of Notre Dame itself, adding more confusion. At 6 19 PM, Jean-Paul B. makes his way to the roof of the sacristy and reports back a minute later that he didn't see any smoke or fire in radio security office. The on-site manager joins Jean-Paul and confirms there is no fire, then visits the security room and asks the agent to contact his boss to find out what the alarm code means and where it could be. At 6 23 p.m., the fire alarm inside the cathedral sounded and the parishioners and visitors were calmly evacuated. The elitas agent tried to reach his manager, Emmanuel, but there was no answer and he left a message. 6 32 PM Emmanuel calls his agent back. Who was the boss? Calls his agent back and will look in the book to find out the meanings of the code and get back to him. Are you cringing yet? Inside the cathedral, the crowds return and the mass began once again. 6 43 PM, 25 minutes after the fire started. Emmanuel calls Jean Paul and tells him to go to the cathedral roof. 6 45 PM. The alarm sounds once again inside the cathedral and the cathedral is evacuated for the last time. 6 48 PM, now 30 minutes after the fire ignited. Jean Paul and the manager climbed the 300 steps to reach the roof of the nave and at that moment found the fire burning in the southeast side of the transept. 6.51 PM. Now more than 30 minutes after the fire broke out. The call went out to the fire department. Due to the time of day and the restrictions of the roads in the city center, it would be very difficult and it'd take additional time to reach the cathedral. 6.55 p.m. The first black smoke plumes could be seen coming from the spire. At 7.03 p.m., the fire station is on site and rushed to the roof. Forty-five minutes after the fire started in the 13th century roof made up of 1,300 oak beams dating back to the 8th and 9th century. 710 p.m., Captain Marc Blanc of the Second Company with the Lou firemen arrived to protect and rescue the precious items of the church, including the most important crown of thorns and the tunic of Saint Louis. They would have to wait until the fire was better under control to pull the items out. Thankfully, Abbe Jean-Marc Fournier, the fire department's chaplain, was the man to do it. And a human chain of firefighters passed the precious relics out of the cathedral to safety at the Hotel de Ville and eventually to the Louvre. 7.30 p.m., General Jean-Claude Gallet of the Paris Fire Brigade orders 150 to 200 firefighters and 30 to 40 machines, including the fire boats on the Seine. At 7.40 p.m., the fire is now burning the spire from the inside. At 7.57, the spire engulfed in flames breaks in two, pierces the roof, and crashes onto the altar of the transept below. The threat of the burning embers destroying the interior was a real concern. At 8 20 p.m., firefighters ordered to get off the roof as it was far too dangerous. At 9 23 p.m., the firefighters returned to the roof now with a new objective. The towers. After the flames engulfed and devoured the roof, the wind blew its fiery embers towards the towers, threatening utter disaster. It was announced at that moment that if the fire wasn't controlled, it could burn the northern belfry and the eight bells weighing a total of 36,733 pounds would crush through the facade and take the church with them. Twenty firefighters risking their lives climbed the South Tower to reach the central platform and fight the flames, saving the Belfry, the tower, and the entire cathedral in just under 20 minutes. At 1047 PM, President Macron, the Archbishop Opet, and Monsignor Patrick Chauvet walked into the entry of the church. Chauvet said, It's a miracle. It wasn't until 3 30 AM on April 16th that officials declared the fire under control, even though some spots continued to smolder for hours. In the light of day, the rest of the 1,350 pieces of the treasury were emptied and many of the paintings were placed in the chapels. It would take weeks to safely remove the paintings and the statue of the Virgin of the Altar. Has not been any official announcement of the cause of the fire. And we are seven years after it, and it is a little ridiculous that we haven't heard that. But there they did come out and say right when it reopened in December of 2024 that there was no sign of it being deliberate. So it comes down to a couple scenarios. One of the biggest being uh smoking, but after all the stuff I've done, usually most of you everybody basically thinks yes, it's smoking, but all of this information that I have devoured in this last week and uncovered, I uh definitely now think it was more electrical. And I'll give you uh more information on each of these scenarios. So smoking, of course, if you've been in Paris or France, you know there is a lot of smoking. Um, and uh that a lot of people think that is the the reason, but I'll give you some I'll give you some facts. Uh LeBron Frère, which was the construction company, and also the Europe Chauffordage, which is the company that provides all of the scaffolding, admitted that they had been smoking, although it was forbidden to smoke on the scaffolding. Prior checks under the roof found hundreds of discarded cigarette butts prior to the fire. If there had been any on April 15th, they would have all been destroyed in the fire, and we don't know. A report dated February 9th, 2015, by security to architect Benjamin Mouton stated that cigarette butts were all over the roof. Highly flammable material was observed everywhere. His reply was nothing can happen that we can't control. Another scenario, going back into electrical, also involves the bells. So in 2008, the DRAC was asked by the managing clergy of Notre Dame if they could install three new bells inside the roof, requiring electricity to run through the 13th century forests and needed to be approval. The approval never came, and they decided that the no answer was an answer and went ahead. They had the bells and the electric wires placed in the roof. In 2010, the bells of the north and south towers were to be removed for recasting, and the clergy again wanted to add new bells, this time to the spire. When the spire was first built by Villet Le Duc, it included bells that were later removed. They were rung manually by a bell ringer. I'll hold for you to insert your Quasimodo joke. Julien LeBron was shocked when he found them before the fire, but he said it wasn't their problem as long as they were properly installed and maintained. Unknown since the fire, if they actually were. Adding to this scenario, the construction company stored scaffolding on the roof, which might have damaged the wires for the bells, which were incorrectly installed. A fuse box was also installed by the same company to charge the batteries for their power tools, avoiding long trips to the ground. The box in the elevator were often left on by workers, and security staff frequently complained about it. Another option is hot work, which means cutting and welding and soldering. Workers building the scaffolding used carbon carbide saw blades that would not react with the metal and not give off any sparks. But a blowtorch was used to remove the copper statues for over two weeks beginning on March 27, 2019, which we'll go more into much more depth. So where the fire started. So the fire started in the lower part of the roof below the southeast valley of the spire where the statues are. Specifically, they say the sandpit of the drip wall of the choir at the southeast corner of the transept cross. If you are standing on the left bank and you look over towards the transept, look it basically as the statues are coming down, it was down in that corner. And I am going to uh go tomorrow morning on the anniversary of the fire, and I'm gonna go make a video and go through a lot of this. So I will have that on my YouTube as well. So if you're listening to that um today when this comes out, make sure to check back tomorrow. And if it's afterwards, check my YouTube uh Cutting Blue Blanc Rouge. Uh the fire could have smoldered for days, which is a process called Pi Rolosis. Remy Delassar was a heritage architect. He believes that the fire could have been smoldering for hours or even days before a combustion when it came into contact with oxygen from a small opening burrowed through from the fire. A hundred hours are needed for this process to overcome a five-meter-long wooden beam, he said. A synopsis at General Jean-Claude Gallet of the Paris Fire Brigade said could not be excluded. Pyrolysis is a type of fire that follows the path of termites, insects, and jumps from nail to nail and needs very little oxygen. What could have been the tipping point, you ask? Remember the removal of those statues, which seemed to have been a bit of a divine intervention on April 11th, saving the statues just four days before the fire broke out, might have actually caused the fire. The statues were created and installed during Violet Le Duc's restoration in the mid-19th century. Generous benefactors stepped in to restore the statues, and the Socra Company was under a tight timeline to remove them from the roof. The skyline has been dotted with cranes for the last seven years. In 2019, the crane on site was temporarily installed to bring the scaffolding to the roof and was utilized to remove the statues. Work began on these apostles in 1848, and they were a bit more than meets the eye. The interstructure was created with iron and then covered with copper sheets, making for a much lighter statue that could stand far above the streets. In 1861, the 16 statues of the apostles and the tetramorphs of the evangelists were welded onto a base where they remained until April 11, 2019. The statues of the Southeast Valley begin at the edge with the Eagle of Saint-Jean, followed by Saint Paul, then Saint Jacques Major, and topped with my favorite Saint Thomas, the patron saint of architects, with the face of Violet Le Duc looking up towards the spire. Yet another shocking coincidence, if this was a reason for the fire, a fire that even Saint Thomas and Violet Le Duc could never have imagined. Beginning March 25th, 2019, teens prepared the statues for their removal. Their heads were cut off, so a large hook could attach to the inner structure before each of the apostles flew through the sky away from the cathedral. The job took two weeks to complete. Could a spark from cutting away at the copper covered statues or bases found its way into the rafters at the roof and smoldered for the next four days? The head of Sokra vehemently denies this, reminding every journalist once a year when called that there were over 20 people in the scaffolding that day that they were removed, including journalists documenting the moment the statues were removed. We may never know. In an interview with Bishop Ulrich on the occasion of the cathedral's 2024 opening, he said that it was time to move on. It doesn't matter what the reason for the fire is, and it's time to turn the page. Since the church and its various entities in charge could be at least partially blamed for the reaction time, disregard for safety, and haphazard electrical installation, we could see why they may want to move past it. While the reason doesn't make a difference, we do want to know what was the cause of the fire and what they do to fix it. The day after the fire, the world sprung into action. The largest and wealthiest companies in France don't have more than 600 million of the total amount raised. The luxury giant LVMH gave 200 million euros, as did L'Oreal Paris and the Betancourt family. The Pinot family gave 100 million euros and numerous other French companies totaling more than three-quarters of the 864 million euros raised. A total of 350,000 donations rolled in over the next few months from just about every corner of the world. The U.S. was the next highest contributor, but not the largest, as reported by 60 Minutes. Many questions arose as the ember still smoldered and in the days that followed. How would the historic cathedral be restored? Was there enough lumber in France to recreate the roof? And were there even people who knew how to do it? Immediately after the fire, the Notre Dame architectural team issued a call for donations of lumber. They had to be at least 100 meters in length and 13 meters in width. Oak and more than 2,000 trees would be needed. A third of France is covered in forest, both privately and publicly owned. Within days, calls came in from hundreds of families with trees that fit the bill. In a few months, the trees began to be cut down, shaped, dried, stored for their important role for the reconstruction of the roof and the spire of Notre Dame. From 2019 to the reopening on December 7th, 2024, over 2,000 artisans brought the cathedral back to life, from teenagers working during their summer apprenticeships to carpenters and stonemasons marking their last job before they retire. There is never a shortage of these highly skilled jobs in France. The night of the fire, President Macron called for the cathedral to be reopened in five years, a lofty goal, especially if you know how things work in France. It took a few months longer, but we did have a pandemic and multiple lockdowns for COVID and lead contamination. During the closure, the entire interior of the cathedral was cleaned, the first time since the completion of the restoration of Villet le Duc 162 years ago. Architects found revolutionary techniques used by Villet le Duc, markings of the 12th century workers, and in the most amazing discovery, the Joubet screen destroyed in the 17th century. Under the marble floor of the transept, heavily damaged when the spire fell from the roof. Archaeologists were excited to find 1,035 fragments of the former screen thought lost and created in the 13th century. Researchers are cleaning and cataloging each piece and will create a 3D rendering of what the Joube wall of the Passion once looked like. I can't wait for that. The roof and the spire were finally completed last summer and recreated exactly how it was. 4,000 square meters of lead was needed to recover the roof and additional lead to encase the spire once again. The statues that were left just days before the fire were all returned to their perch in June and July of 2025. One of the most important elements of the restoration is one that we don't even see. While the security and fire systems before the fire was incredibly lacking, Notre Dame is now the most state-of-the-art church in the world. Thousands of flame-resistant cables, more than 300 sensors, located throughout the cathedral and the roof and analyze the air at every moment of the day. On the roof inspire, a massive flogging and misting system was installed, along with two large fire-resistant trusses on either side of the transept. There are still years of work to go in the cathedral, and the surrounding area is far from finished. Phase three began in the summer of 2025 and essentially phase one if they hadn't had the fire. Work on the rear apse of the church, including restoring the 22 buttresses, five of which have to be completely rebuilt, is undergoing right now, which will also include the pinnacles and the gables restored or recreated. The stained glass on the mid level has all been removed and being cleaned and checked for damage. The northern and southern nave exterior and stained glass will be cleaned and the gargoyles restored and many of them being rebuilt. Both the sacristy and the presbytery buildings built under Ville Le Duc have never been cleaned or restored since construction. The Gothic sacristy needs a new lead roof and pinnacles and sculptures will be recreated and replaced. The presbytery will also be cleaned. The exterior walls and doors of the north and south transeps will be cleaned and restored. Unsure if the many sculptural elements of the doors, many damaged in the revolution and not restored by VL Leduc, will be rebuilt. The three stained glass rose windows of the cathedral created in the 13th century were checked after the fire and found undamaged, but they will all be removed, cleaned, and a new protective clear glass layer will be added. The western rose window of the facade was damaged during the hailstorm of June 2025 and will need to be fixed. Other future plans also include the Parvae work, the 1,200 square meters in front of the church that would already begun this year. 50 million euros was funded by the city. It's all under the plans of Belgian architect Ba Smetz. A large welcome center will be built on the Parvie with restrooms, a bookstore, meeting spaces, and a new entrance to the archaeological crypt. The entire area of 11.6 acres around the church, from in front of it all the way down to the back of the eastern tip of the island, is all going to be re-landscaped. The current work is going on on the north side of the cathedral on the road that is going to be pedestrianized and it's going to have benches and trees, half of which are already installed. It should hopefully be done in the next couple months. It will next the next plan will be the integration of the eastern end where they're going to get rid of the street that's back there. It's only going to be used for emergency purposes. So they're going to get rid of the parking spots. They are going to completely redo that, and trees will be planted there. That will be the last step. This will all take place until 2030. All of the updates that are coming will all be finished by 2031. The last things to be done will be the limestone checkerboard pattern in front of the parve. They had already done that right in front of the church, but the rest of it will be done. That will be one of the last things they do. And the 160 new trees that are going to be planted and added around the cathedral will also be the last to be done. And it's going to be exceptional when it's finished, and I will keep an eye on it and update. Make sure you are following me on YouTube because I do do uh videos on there frequently, somewhat frequently, um, giving you insight and walking around and updates on what's going on there. So make sure to follow along. Now, one of the things that's happening at Notre Dame that's quite controversial, that people are pretty up in arms about, and they're actually taking it to court and trying to stop it, is the creation of new windows to be uh placed in the south side of the nave. They're going to take out the windows. They're created by VLA LeDuc and put these new windows in. And it's uh quote people are quite upset about this. I don't think they should do it, but I did see what the windows look like and I'll tell you all about them. And I, you know, I they are pretty, I think they're actually pretty cool, but I also still don't think they should be taking the ones out. But the French artist Claire Tabouret, she was chosen to carry out the designs based on the theme chosen by the Archbishop of the Pentecost. Uh, Tabouret draws on her love of portraits, nature, and faces and combines them all with these light colors that will blend in the cathedral walls. The project isn't without significant controversy, though. The 1964 Venice Charter states that items of sculpture, painting, or decoration which form an integral part of a monument may not be removed, if the sole means of the ensuring this preservation. And adding to that, the valid contribution of all periods to the building of a monument must be respected. The windows of Violet Le Duc should not be removed or in place, but we can still appreciate the designs that Claire created. The painted example of each window was on view in the Grand Palais until March 10th. Each set of the four tall windows features a scene before the Grisel window of Girond, a blending of the old and the new. The first one is Saint Joseph, and he has the apostles gathered around him when they prayed for 50 days. The next chapel, the Saint Clotil chapel, will have a wave of light and color with the sounds of many waters. The third chapel, Saint Vincent de Paul, the sudden breath and movement of the spirit and wind blowing through a tree. In the Saint Jean-Viev chapel, the Virgin Mary with hair down and arms raised with the twelve flames referring to the Pentecost. In the Saint Denis chapel, Mary and the Apostles look up at the Holy Spirit descends. In the last chapel, the Saint Paul Chen, children lead a long procession presenting faith, hope, and charity. Tabaret blends different cultures and periods to the figures. The loose recreation of the Gerant windows can be seen at the top of the long four windows. The very top will also be replaced, but in accordance with the original design. The new windows designed and painted by Tabaret will be created at the Atelier Saint-Marc, the oldest atelier of stained glass, which opened in 1640, will take part in the project this summer and will be installed on the second anniversary in December of this year. We'll see if that happens. It's uh, you know, I love the stuff that Violet Le Duke did, and it's just been wiped away. In the 50s is when they completely removed all of the painting in the chapels of the nave on the north and south side, completely whitewashed it, just did the same organization that is supposed to protect the heritage, just basically destroyed the heritage. And now they want to take out these windows. There was talk of putting them in a museum that was going to be created that the president of France wants, but it was going to go in the Hotel d'Eu, but the city can't decide on that, and they're fighting with it, even though two-thirds of this massive hospital is not used at all. It would be the perfect place for it, but they can't decide on that. So the entire idea of the museum of Notre Dame is on the hall on completely on hold. And the whole thing was we'll take the windows out and put them in the museum so you can still see them, but now that whole thing is on hold, and who knows if that's ever going to happen. So I don't think they should be taken out, which is the majority opinion of most people here in France uh that love the heritage. So we'll see. Uh, I will have pictures, I'll put pictures on my website of these windows so you could see them. I could appreciate them for the art that they are. Also, would it kill you to have Saint-Jean Viewbe in the window for the Saint-Jean View? I, when they originally talked about this plan, uh they said that the bishop wanted to and the president wanted to have new windows created that would that would mark the passage of the last five years of the fire after the sense of fire. And I thought maybe it would be something like we have one window that represents, you know, the stonemasons and the carpenters and that kind of stuff. I think that would actually go over a lot better. And I think people would love that. Um, very much like if you've been to the Notre-Dame de Rance in Champagne, there's, you know, windows that were done by Marc Chigal, which are beautiful. There's also a massive window that it was all done in the style of the Middle Ages that shows the entire process of making champagne, maybe something more like that, but you know, they didn't ask me. But they it would be, I think that would be um pretty cool because you could just mark all the people and everything that that happened. And that's what I think most people thought the first idea was. So uh we'll see if it actually happens. It's been kind of quiet since the uh anniversary is tomorrow. I checked literally right before we recorded to see if there was anything. It's always, you know, when it's especially it's a big anniversary, seven years, there's always a lot of articles that come out and things. And so as of right now, before we recorded, there wasn't any new information, but I'll keep an eye on it. And um, if you're not following me on social media or get my newsletter, make sure you sign up for those uh at claudinghemingway.com so that you could um I'll update you on any information that I have. But and the last thing I wanted to also, if you are going to be coming to Paris before um June, um, I think it's June 20th, the the Louvre tomorrow opens a new exhibit that's dedicated to Michelangelo and Rodin. And, you know, I am a person that does not like any contemporary art, pretty much none of it. I love the old stuff. I mean, the Louvre is my favorite place in the world. I love the Orse too, but you know, I will live and die at the Louvre. Um, and I look I just love the you know the stories and everything that the older art so the the new contemporary art, you know, if you show me a painting that's the entire painting is just a big blue square, it does nothing for me. So content, you know, but but Rodin is not in that scheme of contemporary, but at the same time, I don't think that belongs in the Louvre. I think the Louvre is what it is. I think you have a, you know, you have 200 museums in Paris, you have many museums to do sorts of things. Um, but you know, the putting together this one, so I went into it going, I don't know what what's happening? Why are we doing this at the Louvre? And uh it is fantastic. And so you have Michelangelo and you have Rodin, and there's three more than 350 years between the time, you know, that they lived. And but you had Rodin going to Florence and and going to Italy and seeing things that Rodin that uh sorry, Michelangelo had done. It was inspired and sketched these things, like the the tomb that he was that Michelangelo was creating for the Pope. That that's why we have the two uh statues of the dying slave at the Louvre, because the Pope decided he didn't want to do that. This is all before he died. Um, and so the there's most of the dying slaves are in in Florence uh with the amazing, life-changing when you see it statue of David. Um, but we have two here at the Louvre. And so they as soon as you walk into the exhibit, you have the two uh slaves of Michelangelo, and then you have around it statues of uh male figures that Rodin also did. And it really is pretty amazing to see, you know, these the the movements and everything. Two artists that were just infatuated with the human form and how to capture that. The uh exhibit continues on with uh side-by-side kind of drawings of of similar things that the two did. Uh Michelangelo, uh, because you know, he's we can't bring, you know, the we can't bring the Vatican. Um, and you know, you can't take apart this the remnants of the tomb or ship the David to to Paris. Uh we do, you know, we don't have we only have the two sculptures, but we do have uh pieces that people did after, so you know, Après Micelage, uh created in from the designs of Michelangelo. And those are on display, and it's pretty uh it's just it's so good. I'm gonna go again um and go into even more detail on it and I'll share more of it with you. But it is really amazing. And if you're going to be in Paris, definitely check it out. Uh, you don't need a separate ticket, you could just book your ticket for the Louvre. It's in the Halle Napoleon, which is underneath the Soule wing, so it's underneath the pyramid, and it's kind of the center, central entrance uh that goes to the Soule Wing. It's just down underneath there. They did add a few like contemporary things like a meat dress or a flesh dress or it's something. It's not really made of flesh, but um, and a couple other things, and even a video and uh a big video of some guy walking, and I was like, why is this here? I know I'm like the I'm I'm like the old lady, but I just don't think it needs to be in the lube. Put it other places, there's lots of other places for that. And I think most people that go into the Louvre honestly have kind of the same feeling, but uh it is really fantastic as definitely go check it out, as well as the Renoir exhibit we talked about, the Rousseau exhibit. Uh, there's also opening just this last week. I'm super excited to go see an exhibit dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. Very different. Um, I'm excited to go see that. There's a uh exhibit of Madame de Sevenier that's at the Carnival that just opens tomorrow as well. So there's so many things. It's the the spring is the best time, and it is beautiful and uh sunny in Paris today. So definitely check all that out and uh make sure to listen next week to episode 15. I'm gonna go into more details because we're coming up to the sixth month anniversary of the theft of the crown jewels and where we are today with that and uh a little bit more detail as well. So check that out and make sure to check out my video on YouTube and find all this information. I will have uh a lot of this transcription written up and on my website, ClaudieHemingway.com. And if you're coming to Paris, definitely book a walking tour. Um, I'm going to do some long in depth ones walking around the outside of Notre Dame, especially with all the stuff going on. And uh so book your walking tour outside in Paris, and I look forward and hope to hear from you soon. A biento.