Notre Dame's surplus restoration fund of €140M to be used for future preservation
Leftover funds worth €140 million that were raised for the restoration of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral after it was ravaged by a fire in 2019 will be put towards future preservation work, its restoration chief said on Thursday. The restored cathedral is set to reopen to the public in December for the first time since the devastating blaze.
More than five years after the devastating fire ravaged Notre Dame, igniting nearly $1 billion in pledged donations within days, restoration chief Philippe Jost says €140 million (around $148 million) still remains from the funds as the cathedral prepares to reopen next month.
The surplus, sourced from both billionaire benefactors and countless small donors, will be used to support vital future preservation work on the 861-year-old Gothic monument.
Jost praised the generosity after the fire and the management of the restoration funds that were "entrusted to someone very attentive and professional," he told a press conference in Paris.
He noted that these funds will be used “in agreement with the patrons and donors to carry out needed work campaigns,” as Notre Dame faces continued demands for preservation and structural integrity.
Jost also confirmed, in response to a question from The Associated Press, that the billionaire tycoons who pledged vast sums in the aftermath of the blaze have “fully fulfilled their financial commitments” and “honored their pledges made on the night of the fire or in the hours that followed.”
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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