OREANDA-NEWS. The commencement of work on the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral after the April fire is expected no earlier than the end of 2020 due to the need to ensure the general safety of the building for builders. This was announced on Friday by French Minister of Culture Frank Riester on the air of the French TV channel.

"At the end of 2020 - the beginning of 2021", said Riester, answering the question about the timing of the reconstruction of the cathedral. "Why not sooner? Because, first of all, the safety of Notre Dame must be ensured". He specified that it was necessary to remove the scaffolds around the place where the spire that had collapsed during the fire was located, to clear the building of the remaining debris and increase the reliability of the structures.

According to the Minister, the corresponding work should be completed in the spring of 2020. At the same time, selection of projects for the restoration of the building will be carried out at the same time, but the head of the cultural department didn't specify whether it was a reconstruction in its previous form or the creation of a more modern design. At the end of his speech, he announced his commitment to "make Notre Dame even more beautiful than before".