A Video Game Could Be The Key To Restoring Notre Dame Cathedral

A picture taken on April 16, 2019 shows the altar surrounded by charred debris inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral. - French investigators probing the devastating blaze at Notre-Dame

While almost all of the historical artifacts and works of art were saved after flames ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, the interior and its iconic spire will need to be rebuilt. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the historic church within five years while over $700 million has been pledged by three of France's wealthiest families to aid in the restoration effort.

As officials begin the effort to restore the historic cathedral, which could take decades to complete, they might have an unexpected source of help to reconstruct the building. According to Business Insider, the 2014 video Assassin's Creed: Unity, recreated Notre Dame in painstaking detail.

One of the game's artists told The Verge that she spent over two years perfecting the building brick by brick. Caroline Miousse's challenge was not to recreate Notre Dame as it stood in 2014, but as it would have looked during the French Revolution when the game takes place. She reviewed old photographs and even consulted with historians to ensure that the correct paintings were displayed inside.

She admits that she made one significant change to the cathedral that isn't historically accurate: its iconic spires. Miousse left them out in her original designs because they had yet to be built. But, after testers started playing the game, they felt that something didn't feel right, so she decided to add the spires onto the cathedral.

If you don't own the game, KaliBoyinPDX posted a video on YouTube showcasing the level of detail as he explores the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.

Photo: Getty Images


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