French billionaire Francois Pinault has officially signed off documents to donate £90 million to rebuilding the Notre Dame.
It comes after church and business officials said in mid June that the billionaire French donors who publicly promised flashy donations totaling hundreds of million had not yet paid a penny.
Francois Pinault and his son Francois-Henri have officially signed documents setting aside 100 million euros ($109 million) to reconstruct the flame-ravaged building.
Tuesday's donation follows months of delays that left French officials largely reliant on small charity donations to fund the first phase of repairs, following the devastating fire on April 15.
Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit says 'everyone gives what he can according to his needs, but the big donors give us breathing room.'
Francois-Henri Pinault, whose international luxury group Kering owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, pledged the money directly after the fire.
His rival, French billionaire Bernard Arnault of luxury goods group LVMH, soon followed suit, pledging 200 million euros ($218 million).
Arnault finalized his donation agreement with the Notre Dame Foundation last week.
Previously it had been mainly American and French citizens, via charitable foundations at Notre Dame, that footed the bills and paid salaries for the up to 150 workers employed by the cathedral since the blaze.
The Friends of Notre Dame de Paris was founded in 2017, and its president, Michel Picaud, estimated in June that 90% of the d
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onations it has received have come from American donors.
'Americans are very generous toward Notre Dame and the monument is very loved in America. Six out of our 11 board members are residents in the U.S.,' Picaud said at the time.
While the billionaire donors had delayed signing their checks, the workers at the cathedral could afford no such luxury as the risk of lead poisoning became an issue for the Parisian island on which Notre Dame is located.
The estimated 300 tons of lead that made up the roof melted or was released into the atmosphere during the blaze, and sent toxic dust around the island with high levels present in the soils and in administrative buildings, according to Paris' regional health agency. It has recommended that all pregnant women and children under 7 take a blood test for lead levels.
Two dedicated workers have been cleaning the toxic lead dust from the forecourt for weeks, and up to 148 more have been cleaning inside and outside the edifice as well as restoring it.
Workers have been creating a wooden walkway to give them access to remove the 250 tons of burnt-out scaffolding that had been installed for the ill-fated restoration of the spire.
They will then replace the existing plastic protection with a bigger, more robust 'umbrella' roof. After that, they will begin the reconstruction of the roof and vaulting. The middle vault will be the first stage of the reconstruction.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said the work should be completed within a five year deadline. Macron has appointed former army chief Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin to oversee the reconstruction and crack the whip. But critics have said the timeline is overly ambitious.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
