Precious carpet saved from flames at Notre-Dame goes on display

"Monumental carpet of the Notre-Dame choir" narrowly escaped destruction during the April 15 fire.

PARIS (Reuters) - A 25-meter carpet saved from the Notre Dame fire in April is going on display to the public in Paris.

Designed by Saint-Ange and Woven between 1825 and 1833 for the cathedral’s choir by the famous Savonnerie manufacturers, the carpet is one of the cathedral’s treasures, donated in 1841 by King Louis-Philippe of France and rolled out for historic events such as the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1980.

Known as the "monumental carpet of the Notre-Dame choir", it narrowly escaped destruction during the April 15 fire at the iconic monument, with firefighters saving it from the flames, but sustained damage and is awaiting restoration at France’s centre for the preservation of historic furniture, the Mobilier National.

The director of the Mobilier National, Herve Lemoine, said that a team of conservators had begun a challenging preservation operation immediately after the fire. The water-saturated carpet weighed two tonnes, twice its usual weight, and after transporting it the team dried and froze the carpet to prevent the growth of fungus and parasites.

The carpet has only been on public display twice in the past 30 years, but will be open for visits for Paris’ European Heritage Days on September 21-22, where buildings usually closed to the public open their doors for visits.

Visitors to the historic furniture storage room will also be able to see other treasures, such as a chair belonging to former Queen of France Marie-Antoinette, and a cabinet which usually resides in the President of France’s office.