Notre Dame Shut For Up To 6 Years, Employees Face Uncertain Future

A firefighter tackles the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris.

(Photo: AP)

Notre Dame's rector says he will close the burned-out Paris cathedral for up to six years.

Bishop Patrick Chauvet acknowledged that the famed monument would close down for "five to six years" as he spoke with local business owners on Wednesday, 17 April, two days after a blaze torched the roof of the cathedral and brought down its spire.

Chauvet said “a segment of the cathedral has been very weakened” by the devastating fire. He did not elaborate which section he was talking about.

He added it was unclear what the church's 67 employees would be doing in the future.

The French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced an international architects' competition to rebuild the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Philippe, speaking following a special Cabinet meeting on Wednesday held by French President Emmanuel Macron, said the competition aims at "giving Notre Dame a spire adapted to technologies and challenges of our times."

He said authorities have no estimate yet of the total cost of the renovation work. though Macron said on Tuesday that he wants the cathedral to be rebuilt in five years.

Philippe said: “This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility.”

The Paris prosecutor's office says investigators looking into the causes of the Notre Dame fire have still not been able to look inside the cathedral, as it remains unsafe.

Investigators will continue with interviews on Wednesday, saying the inquiry will go on until prosecutors uncover "the truth and identify the origin" of the blaze.

On Tuesday, investigators spoke with around 30 witnesses, including employees of companies involved in the church’s restoration and security personnel.

The Czech Philharmonic and other major Czech orchestras will join forces to play a fundraising concert to help restore Notre Dame Cathedral, heavily damaged by a devastating fire.

The Czech Philharmonic says the orchestras will perform Antonin Dvorak's "Stabat Mater" in St Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, in Prague on Tuesday.

(Published in arrangement with PTI)