taken a few years ago; The spire and the statues trace their roots to the mid-19th century work of a bold visionary Viollet-le-Duc who, at the age of 30, was commissioned to restore the cathedral and replace an old spire after years of neglect. The spire was made of 500 tons of wood and covered in a protective 250 tons lead coating. The earlier spire had been removed from Notre Dame Cathedral between 1786 and 1791 after centuries of wind damage left it teetering on the brink of collapse.