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Since then, the building has undergone a £2m refurbishment that has seen a complete internal refit to the public areas and screens, and "substantial" repairs to the roof and stonework.

The demolition contractors say they will try to preserve the best stonework features by removing them by hand.

But while most visitors will be marveling at the cathedral’s rebuilt roof and radiant stonework, behind the scenes a sprawling scientific enterprise has yielded surprising insights into Notre Dame’s past.

Robbie Mitchell, a reference assistant at the library, said that inside the passageway you could see the brickwork of the library's lower levels and the bridge’s stonework.

The most striking feature of the renovated cathedral is the luminosity of the stonework.