Former French military leader overseeing the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral passes away.
A former French military leader responsible for the restoration of Paris's iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral, following a destructive fire in 2019, passed away due
ing a mountain hike on Saturday.
General Jean-Louis Georgelin, aged 74, passed away on Friday in the Pyrenees mountain range which spans the border between France and Spain, as announced by the prosecutor’s office in Foix, a city in southern France.
Following the dispatch of a mountain rescue team to Mont-Valier peak, a spokesperson confirmed that they had identified the body of a man as General Georgelin. The spokesperson indicated that an accident was the probable cause of his demise.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences on Twitter, stating that Notre-Dame had lost its "rebirth overseer," and France had lost "one of its distinguished servants." President Macron's Twitter account now bears the moniker "X."
Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, also paid tribute to Georgelin on social media, highlighting his role in creating the necessary conditions for the triumphant reconstruction of Notre-Dame.
A five-star general who held the position of Chief of Staff of the French army from 2006 to 2010, Georgelin oversaw various operations in regions such as Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and Lebanon.
In 2020, he was selected by Macron to lead the intricate and costly reconstruction efforts of Notre-Dame. The cathedral, a renowned symbol of Paris, had suffered extensive damage from a fire that had shocked the world the year prior.
Georgelin, a devout Catholic whose motto was "progress without delay," had previously stated that Notre-Dame's new spire would be finalized by the end of the year.
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