Notre-Dame’s 340,000 donors

As a special privilege, Emmanuel Macron was given a preview of the cathedral ahead of its reopening on Friday, November 29, and shared this moment with over a thousand lucky visitors. According to the Élysée, they were the people “most involved,” a term used to describe both the workers and restorers who brought the cathedral back to life, as well as the most generous donors who financed the project.

Some €843 million was raised in the direct aftermath of the 15 April 2019 fire, with 340,000 people contributing to this extraordinary fundraising effort – an unprecedented feat! The roll call of Notre-Dame’s donors is nothing short of breathtaking: luxury tycoons, business leaders, heirs and self-made men, a few celebrities and many anonymous ones, children who emptied their piggy banks and retirees who dipped into their pensions, believers and atheists, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims. Among these guardian angels, some are keen to ensure their contributions do not go unnoticed.

“The Fondation Notre-Dame is the leading financer of the cathedral’s restoration,” announced the fundraising body linked to the Paris diocese in a statement. “We have the largest number of donors for Notre-Dame, 236,000 to be exact,” said Bertrand de Feydeau, vice president of the Fondation du Patrimoine. “Don’t forget the Americans, who have given so much!” said Jean-Hugues Monier, from New York, a former McKinsey strategy consultant who has been volunteering his efforts to support fundraising in the United States.

Those who agreed to speak to The Worldeither in person or through their advisers, had a vivid memory of the evening of the fire. In neuropsychology, this is known as a “flashbulb memory,” referring to the detailed recollection of a significant event, such as the Moon landing in July 1969 or the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. On 15 April 2019, Jean-Jacques Aillagon was at his home in Brittany, where he spends half the week. The former culture minister (2002-2004) learned of the disaster while watching television. He immediately tried to contact François Pinault, whom he had advised for more than 20 years. At an event celebrating economist Alain Minc’s birthday at Guy Savoy’s restaurant, the Breton billionaire didn’t pick up. It was not until around 10:30 pm that he called back, informing Aillagon of a decision he had just made with his son François-Henri: He would donate €100 million to rebuild Notre-Dame. His long-time communications advisor, Anne Méaux, issued a press release during the night.

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