Meet the museologist from Baixada Fluminense who worked on the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Meet the museologist from Baixada Fluminense who worked on the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris .      Carolina Ferreira explains that Notre-Dame — which reopened on Saturday, after being closed for five years due to renovations following the fire — houses the most diverse types of art in its collection In 1961, Paracambi gained independence in the Baixada Fluminense region of Brazil. That same year, Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris, France, marked 615 years since its inauguration. Despite being separated by 9,000 kilometers, the French church and the Brazilian municipality share a connection through Carolina Ferreira, a museologist born in Paracambi who contributed to the reconstruction of one of France's iconic landmarks.
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In 1961, Paracambi gained independence in the Baixada Fluminense region of Brazil. That same year, Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris, France, marked 615 years since its inauguration. Despite being separated by 9,000 kilometers, the French church and the Brazilian municipality share a connection through Carolina Ferreira, a museologist born in Paracambi who contributed to the reconstruction of one of France's iconic landmarks.

Carolina, proudly from Paracambi, studied at the Paracambi campus of the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro and pursued museology at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio). She then moved to France for her master's degree and subsequently applied to work on the restoration of Notre-Dame, which was partially destroyed by a fire in 2019.

— I am very proud to be from a city in the Baixada Fluminense. Paracambi is a city with a strong historical heritage, despite being small. This was one of the factors that led me to want to study in this area. Additionally, Brazilian museology is highly respected abroad — she says.

As a museologist, she became the collections manager at Notre-Dame Cathedral under the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the French Ministry of Culture. Her role is significant: she is responsible for preserving the cathedral's relics, including sculptures and paintings. One of these is the tunic of Saint Louis, a symbol of the French monarchy worn by one of the country's most famous kings.

— Fortunately, all these objects survived the fire and spent these five years of works in secret locations. And they were indeed secret. Because of the job, we took several photos that we wanted to show everyone, but we couldn't tell anyone. Many times, while working there, I pinched myself to know if it was really true — shares Carolina.

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Carolina explains that Notre-Dame—reopened on Saturday after five years of renovation following the fire—houses a diverse collection of art, ranging from small sculptures to paintings four meters tall. To reinstall such large paintings, a special operation was necessary, involving the help of ten people. The artworks were only hung after a team of engineers calculated whether the designated location was suitable to support the weight and which mounting system was best for each piece of art.

Museologist Carolina Ferreira during the installation of Saint Louis's tunic at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris — Foto: Press Release / © DRAC Île-de-France / Nicolas Thouvenin

Among her cherished memories of her work is the return of the statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, one of the greatest symbols of resistance to the fire:

— It became a landmark of this reconstruction because it stood exactly where the wooden structure fell during the fire. Even fragile, it remained intact without a scratch. Returning it to its place was very special, as if we were closing a restoration cycle and starting a new life for the cathedral.

National Museum recovery

A year before the Notre-Dame fire, a more serious incident occurred in Brazil. The National Museum, located in Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, was engulfed in flames, destroying hundreds of works in its collection. Despite the fire happening months earlier, the museum's restoration is still ongoing. Carolina hopes for the institution's swift recovery and notes that massive donations facilitated the quicker restoration of Notre-Dame:

— The National Museum also requires donations of objects and new works to build a new collection. Fortunately, many institutions worldwide have mobilized to donate and lend these works — she says.
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2024-12-09
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     Carolina Ferreira explains that Notre-Dame — which reopened on Saturday, after being closed for five years due to renovations following the fire — houses the most diverse types of art in its collection In 1961, Paracambi gained independence in the Baixada Fluminense region of Brazil. That same year, Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris, France, marked 615 years since its inauguration. Despite being separated by 9,000 kilometers, the French church and the Brazilian municipality share a connection through Carolina Ferreira, a museologist born in Paracambi who contributed to the reconstruction of one of France's iconic landmarks.
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Carolina, proudly from Paracambi, studied at the Paracambi campus of the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro and pursued museology at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio). She then moved to France for her master's degree and subsequently applied to work on the restoration of Notre-Dame, which was partially destroyed by a fire in 2019.
— I am very proud to be from a city in the Baixada Fluminense. Paracambi is a city with a strong historical heritage, despite being small. This was one of the factors that led me to want to study in this area. Additionally, Brazilian museology is highly respected abroad — she says.
As a museologist, she became the collections manager at Notre-Dame Cathedral under the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the French Ministry of Culture. Her role is significant: she is responsible for preserving the cathedral's relics, including sculptures and paintings. One of these is the tunic of Saint Louis, a symbol of the French monarchy worn by one of the country's most famous kings.
— Fortunately, all these objects survived the fire and spent these five years of works in secret locations. And they were indeed secret. Because of the job, we took several photos that we wanted to show everyone, but we couldn't tell anyone. Many times, while working there, I pinched myself to know if it was really true — shares Carolina.
In english: Read more stories on O GLOBO's website 
Carolina explains that Notre-Dame—reopened on Saturday after five years of renovation following the fire—houses a diverse collection of art, ranging from small sculptures to paintings four meters tall. To reinstall such large paintings, a special operation was necessary, involving the help of ten people. The artworks were only hung after a team of engineers calculated whether the designated location was suitable to support the weight and which mounting system was best for each piece of art.
Museologist Carolina Ferreira during the installation of Saint Louis's tunic at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris
Press Release / © DRAC Île-de-France / Nicolas Thouvenin
Among her cherished memories of her work is the return of the statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, one of the greatest symbols of resistance to the fire:
— It became a landmark of this reconstruction because it stood exactly where the wooden structure fell during the fire. Even fragile, it remained intact without a scratch. Returning it to its place was very special, as if we were closing a restoration cycle and starting a new life for the cathedral.
National Museum recovery
A year before the Notre-Dame fire, a more serious incident occurred in Brazil. The National Museum, located in Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, was engulfed in flames, destroying hundreds of works in its collection. Despite the fire happening months earlier, the museum's restoration is still ongoing. Carolina hopes for the institution's swift recovery and notes that massive donations facilitated the quicker restoration of Notre-Dame:
— The National Museum also requires donations of objects and new works to build a new collection. Fortunately, many institutions worldwide have mobilized to donate and lend these works — she says.
The translation of this text into english was carried out by Project Irineu, O GLOBO's initiative to develop artificial intelligence tools. Here is the link to the original report.
Meet the museologist from Baixada Fluminense who worked on the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris