PARIS — The billionaire French donors who publicly proclaimed they would give hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials.
Francois Pinault of Artemis, the parent company of Kering that owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, promised 100 million euros , while Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of French energy company Total, said his firm would match that figure. Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury giant LVMH that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, pledged 200 million euros , as did the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation of the L'Oréal fortune.
Story continues"Americans are very generous toward Notre Dame and the monument is very loved in America. Six out of our 11 board members are residents in the U.S.," Picaud said. Two dedicated workers have been cleaning the toxic lead dust from the cathedral's forecourt for weeks, and up to 148 more have been cleaning inside and outside the edifice as well as restoring it, according to Finot.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said the work should be completed within five years — a deadline that many French architects say is overly ambitious. Macron has appointed former army chief Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin to oversee the reconstruction. Total has pledged to pay its 100 million euros via the Heritage Foundation, whose Director General Celia Verot, confirmed that the multinational company has not paid anything yet. She said donors are waiting to see what the plans are and if they are in line with each company's particular vision before they agree to transfer the money.
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