Valuable tapestry restored after fire in Notre Dame

PARIS. The refined tapestry, woven in the early 1800s and rescued from Notre Dame Cathedral after a strong fire in April, was put on public display for the third time in recent decades.

Donated to the cathedral in 1841 by the French king Louis Philippe, a 25-meter (82-foot) rug with its colorful cornucopia and vibrant flower crowns unfold on special occasions, including a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1980.

When firefighters pulled a water-soaked carpet from the blackened inside of the cathedral after the fire on April 15, it weighed two tons, twice its normal weight.

Restorers used a wind tunnel to dry a tapestry. He was then frozen to kill fungi and parasites that can destroy tissue, said Herve Lemoine, director of the French service agency Mobilier National, which oversees a collection of valuable furniture and artworks in France.

“He suffered water damage during a fire containment operation. Due to the heat of fire, and also because summer was just beginning at that time, there was a risk that fungus and parasites could damage weaving, ”Lemoine said.

Over the past 30 years, the tapestry has been put on public display only twice. It will be re-presented for public viewing during the days of the Paris European Heritage Days on September 21-22.