Four days before the
fire, statues of the
Apostles fortunately
were removed from
the spire and shipped
to Socra, a restoration
company in Périgueux.
The copper cladding
was as thin as cigarette
paper in some spots,
says metal specialist
Olivier Baumgartner
(working here on St.
Matthew). He and his
colleagues avoided
making the cladding
too smooth: “It must
exude authenticity.”
The Twelve
Apostles got
out of Paris
just in time.