In the first months of securing the cathedral in the fall of 2019, an essential operation was the installation of the wooden hangers supporting the flying buttresses. The restoration of the vaults was completed with the laying of the last stone last May, and the restoration of the framing and roofing is restoring the balance of forces in the monument. Removal of the pointed arch hangers can now begin.
The first buttresses of the southern façade of the nave were first “unloaded” by rope access technicians from Jarnias (Val-de-Marne). They removed the “couchis” between the arch and the stone of the buttresses. Carpenters from Le Bras Frères (Meurthe-et-Moselle) then carried out the delicate removal. With the help of the design office’s calculations, which identified the unique center of gravity for each hanger, the journeymen were able to determine the position of the flanges and fittings. Then the lifting team, consisting of six carpenters, two rope access technicians to place the elements in inaccessible places, two scaffolders and a crane operator working with the foreman who gave the instructions, took charge of the careful placement of the 10-ton structure.
The arches on the north façade of the nave will be removed in early 2025. The arches of the choir will remain in place for some time to come, as they will be needed for the restoration of the Cathedral’s chevet, which will be the subject of the third phase of the work, scheduled to begin in 2025 and last about three years.