By Emma Taggart on December 10, 2024

Photo: kmiragaya/Depositphotos

To celebrate the reopening of the Notre-Dame, chocolatiers sculpted an extraordinary chocolate replica of the famous cathedral.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris reopened its doors on Sunday, December 8, five years after a devastating fire destroyed its iconic roof. To mark the momentous occasion and to celebrate its restoration, chocolatiers at Valrhona sculpted an extraordinary chocolate replica of the famous cathedral.

The edible masterpiece, measuring 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) long, 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide, and 1.4 (4.6 feet) meters high, was created by Baptiste Moreau, a lecturer at the Valrhona School, alongside the Valrhona Paris School team under the guidance of Thierry Bridron. The extraordinary sculpture beautifully pays tribute to the cathedral’s iconic Gothic architecture, complete with countless complex details.

The chocolate replica was a true labor of love, taking around 3,000 hours to bring from concept to completion. Moreau and his team of pastry chefs meticulously shaped details like the cathedral’s iconic gargoyles and rose window by hand. For more intricate components, the team collaborated with the specialized company Hydroprocess, using water jet cutting to achieve perfect precision. Even the cathedral’s famous spire, lost in the 2019 fire, has been meticulously reimagined in chocolate. […]

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