• Détails de la charpente en bois de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
  • Vue en profondeur de la charpente de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
  • Vue en profondeur du mécanisme de la charpente de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
  • Vue du dessous de la structure de la charpente de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
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The Roof Structure

The roof structure of Notre-Dame, also known as "the forest," dates back to the 13th century. Before its collapse during the 2019 fire, it was one of the oldest roof structures in Paris.

The roof structure of Notre-Dame is among the oldest in Paris. It is preceded only by that of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre (1147) and some elements of that of Saint-Germain des Prés (1160-1170). Named "the forest" due to the number of beams, each of which comes from a different oak tree, its dimensions are impressive: 100 meters in length, 13 meters in width in the nave, 40 meters in the transept, and 10 meters in height. This structure caught fire during the 2019 blaze, leaving the entire roof exposed to the open sky.
Détails de la charpente en bois de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris View

A Gothic Roof Structure

The implementation of ribbed vaults was a major architectural innovation of the Middle Ages. The architects conceived steeply pitched roofs, with the inclination of those at Notre-Dame being 55 degrees. At the time of its construction, deforestation and urban development made large timber scarce. Smaller sections of wood were used for the roof structures, increasing the pitch.

An initial roof structure was built over the cathedral’s choir with trees felled around 1160-1170. Some of the wood was already three or four hundred years old at the time of construction, corresponding to trees from the 8th or 9th century. The first roof structure has disappeared, but some of the wood was reused in the second roof structure, installed between 1220 and 1240.

A Lead Roof

A lead roof rests on the second roof structure, consisting of 1326 plates, each 5 mm thick, weighing a total of 210 tons. In the 9th and 12th centuries, church roofs were covered with flat tiles. Since Paris lacks clay deposits, a lead covering was preferred. In 1196, Bishop Maurice de Sully bequeathed 5,000 pounds for the purchase of lead.

19th-Century Restorations

The roof structures of the choir and nave survived through the centuries. However, Viollet-le-Duc planned the restoration of those of the transepts and the spire in the mid-19th century. Made according to the principles in force in the 19th century, they differ from the roof structures of the choir and nave, as the dimensions of the beams are more imposing and spaced further apart than those from the Middle Ages.

 

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