If you ever wanted to own a Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, now is your chance!
To raise funds to support endangered religious landmarks and heritage in France, the medieval Catholic cathedral is withdrawing about 50 stones from its landmarks. The stones were so severely damaged in the fire that they were reused, weighing about 800 grams each and were engraved with the outline of the main facade of the iconic structure.
To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age and donate at least €40 (USD 43) on the website established through Fondation Du Patrimoine (Heritage Foundation) from April 4. Winners will be selected on April 15 (the day the Cathedral torn in 2019) and will be banned from selling, gifts or trading stones.
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Du Patrimoine’s Fondation has raised 228 million euros ($247 million) from nearly 236,000 donors, totaling 840 million euros ($912 million) to help restore Notre Dame. The foundation was founded in 1996 and supports the preservation of French religious heritage. Of the 50,000 religious sites identified across the country, about 5,000 religious sites require strict maintenance.
Although Notre Dame Cathedral was destroyed by a fire in 2019, it reopened last December. Restoration is a huge project: it involves over 2,000 artisans; building materials include cut down oak trees once 88 feet tall. 14,000 square feet of stone were replaced, 8,000 organ tubes were cleaned, and 1,500 solid oak seats were installed. As part of the restoration, the cathedral was also strictly cleaned.
