and every craftsman. It was obvious that everyone admired him and that his passion played a major role in facilitating communi-cation among the restoration group members.” A thorough understanding of a cultural site’s historical back-ground and context is critical to its preservation. In order to dis-seminate this knowledge, it is important to establish an organized body of experts from many fields.“In this regard, I think the Notre-Dame Cathedral restoration is an incredible success. In addition to the directly involved crafts-men and specialists, there were finance experts managing do-nations, as well as public relations specialists providing infor-mation to the general public, all working together towards the single goal. They introduced the restoration process to the public in novel ways, such as with cartoon characters displayed on the walls surrounding the site. Japan can learn from this framework of local community support as an essential part of cultural asset preservation.”While the Sophia survey focused on speaking directly to the craftsmen and specialists involved in the cathedral’s restoration, the team also conducted a survey of the Catholic Church to gain insight into how church practitioners approached the restora-tion and coordinated with national policy. Within the 2025 aca-demic year, Sakano’s team hopes to interview the clergyman en-trusted by the Archdiocese of Paris with the cathedral’s interior maintenance. “Religious monuments are not only material buildings, but also spaces that provoke human emotion, faith, remembrance, and memory,” Sakano said.“The restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral proceeded in ideal fashion. However, there are many churches in France under the jurisdiction of local municipalities that are deteriorating due to insufficient budgetary resources. I would like to direct attention to the rediscovery of the authenticity and value of European reli-gious heritage aside from World Heritage Sites. The presence of outstanding researchers of Christianity at Sophia should enable a wide range of comparative research. The Notre-Dame Cathedral restoration project was the first opportunity for a Japanese re-search team to conduct field research at the cathedral. I believe it was worthwhile for us to be present, if only to communicate our interest and research intent to those concerned in France.”An expansive timber roof framework, referred to as “La Forêt” (the forest), above the vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame Cathedral was composed of 1,230 pieces of oak timber, assembled in trian-gular trusses. This framework distributed the weight of the roof evenly in an ingenious example of medieval French craftsman-ship. The timber, with origins as far back as the 12th century, was entirely lost in the fire.Initial restoration proposals suggested replacing the timber with more sturdy steel or fitting it with glass, but the decision was soon made to restore the building to its appearance prior to the fire. Restoration was performed using medieval techniques with materials as close as possible to the original. Cutting-edge digital technologies such as 3D scanning were also used, but Villeneuve emphasized that these technologies would never take center stage. “’Each tree has its own character, meaning that what kind of axe to use and how to employ woodworking tools has to be con-sidered. This restoration and repair process is critical’ Villeneuve said. Nevertheless, some materials differ from those used before the fire, and the interior space is different as well. This is because the restoration was carried out in a way to be compatible with the wishes of the Catholic Church and the policy of the French gov-ernment on protecting cultural assets. Even if the original is not completely restored, the cultural heritage’s value remains intact as long as the traditional techniques and spirit carry on – a tenet of the Nara Document. That we were able to see this for ourselves was the most important finding of our project.”Rediscovering the Value of Religious Cultural HeritageResearchCarpenters, painters, stained glass artisans, sculptors, and vari-ous other craftsmen assembled from all over France to work day and night on the restoration effort. More than 1,000 people in all were involved. Sakano feels that the presence of Villeneuve, who directed the site and bridged the differing perspectives, was the reason the project could move smoothly to a public unveiling within a mere five years. “During our survey, we witnessed Villeneuve talking with each 15
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