Notre Dame’s spire has regained its cock – described as a crucial stage in the restoration since the devastating fire in 2019. Decked with flames, relics and gold, it returned to its place on Saturday.
A bronze rooster statue formerly sat at the top of the cathedral’s spire. After the fire, it was found badly decomposed. Now it has been redesigned and the architect has been inspired by a dramatic phoenix with flames in its wings.
The rooster is no longer just a weathervane, but also symbolizes resilience in the midst of the fire’s destruction, says chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, who designed the rooster. He says the original rooster’s survival was like a light in the disaster.
– That there was hope, that all was not lost, says Villeneuve and calls the installation of the new rooster “the fire of the resurrection”.
Could be saved from the flames
Before the golden rooster was put in place with the help of a crane, it was blessed by the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich. In France, the rooster symbolizes vigilance and the resurrection of Christ.
Inside the bird’s chest, Ulrich placed holy relics, including fragments of Christ’s crown of thorns. The Crown of Thorns is Notre Dame’s most precious relic and was saved from the flames.
The country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has announced that the original rooster will be displayed in a new museum.