The installation of the new golden rooster represents much more than just a weathervane on top of the tower of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
It symbolizes resilience amid the devastation following a fire in April 2019, and officials responsible for the restoration have revealed that a fire protection system is being installed under the cathedral’s roof.
The original rooster was damaged in a major fire, and chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, who designed the new rooster, said the survival of the original rooster marked a ray of light in the disaster.
“There was hope, that all was not lost. The beauty of the old battered rooster expressed the cry of a cathedral suffering in flames,” said Villeneuve, as reported by France24.
He described the new work of art, about half a meter long, now glistening in the December sun behind Notre Dame Cathedral, as his “phoenix”.
Villeneuve elaborated on the significance of the new rooster, saying that since the fire they have been working on this successor to the rooster, which sees flames reach the top of the cathedral, more than 96 meters from the ground, Klix.ba reports.
