All Stories: Notre-Dame

President Emmanuel Macron has set an ambitious target of five years for restoring Notre-Dame, which was gutted by a fire on April 15 that felled its steeple and consumed the lattice of beams supporting the roof.

"The bees are alive. Until this morning, I had had no news," said beekeeper Nicolas Geant who looks after the hives which are kept on top of a sacristry that adjoins the cathedral.

Before any work can begin it must be established how solid the stone structure is since it might have been weakened by the fire's extreme heat and water.

The inferno destroyed the roof of the 850-year-old UNESCO world heritage landmark