Montreal blacksmith says he has a 'place in paradise' as Notre-Dame reopens its doors
CTV
Five years ago, Notre-Dame Cathedral erupted in flames. A column of smoke rose above the Paris skyline as the historic cathedral, which took 182 years to build between the 12th and 14th centuries, was reduced to a smouldering shell.
Five years ago, Notre-Dame Cathedral erupted in flames. A column of smoke rose above the Paris skyline as the historic cathedral, which took 182 years to build between the 12th and 14th centuries, was reduced to a smouldering shell.
Yet against all odds, the Gothic masterpiece is reopening its doors on Saturday — and two Canadian blacksmiths played a role in its restoration.
Montreal blacksmith Mathieu Collette won't be able to make it to Paris to see the resurrected church before the summer, but he said he is grateful for his small part in the cathedral's history.
"I believe I have a little place in paradise now," he said in an interview Thursday.
After Notre-Dame fell into ruin, Collette got a call from a fellow blacksmith working in the Alsace region of France, asking if he wanted to fly to Europe to get involved in the Notre-Dame rebuild.
Over four months in the fall of 2022, Collette and a team of seven young blacksmiths under his direction forged three different types of axe — 60 axes altogether.
The axes were quickly distributed to carpenters who needed the tools to carve the roof's timber frame, doing their best to mimic the original construction.
