Two Years Post-Fire, Notre-Dame Artifacts Provide New Path for Public Engagement

    WASHINGTON, DC, April 15, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Established in 2017, Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris is the official public charity leading the cathedral's international fundraising efforts. The group's original mandate was to support the restoration and preservation of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which had not had major repairs since the mid-1800s. Now, two years after the devastating April 2019 Notre-Dame fire, the nonprofit is launching a new interactive donor engagement platform.

"Notre-Dame Cathedral is not just a French monument," says Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris president Michel Picaud. "She belongs to the world, and she needs our help. The new interactive website we've created gives people a chance to engage with specific artifacts from the cathedral and learn more about them — more about their history and their cultural significance. Donors can discover which artifacts they connect with most, then choose to support restoration of those pieces. It's very personalized; you can own a piece of the cathedral's history forever because you helped fund its restoration."

Engaging With Notre-Dame's Rich History

• After the April 2019 fire, workers painstakingly collected the remains of any damaged parts of the cathedral building and its artworks.
• Each artifact is a "piece of the puzzle" awaiting restoration; each has a unique history and story.
• The pieces both make up the physical environment of the cathedral and tell stories of its history and cultural relevance.
• Now, a new interactive website will allow visitors to learn about these numerous artifacts.
• Donors can engage with specific artifacts of their choosing and select which they'd like to invest in restoring.
• Donations can also go towards the cathedral's restoration as a whole if a donor prefers.

About: Michel Picaud is President of Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to accelerate the restoration of the iconic Paris cathedral. The group is the official public charity leading the cathedral's international fundraising efforts for rebuilding and restoration. Visit FriendsOfNotreDameDeParis.org.

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