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# On 23 June, after six years of restoration and with the blessing of the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, the first of sixteen copper statues returned to its place on the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/23-iiunia-posle-shesti-let-restavratsii-s-blagosloveniia-arkhiepiskopa-parizha-lorana-ulrikha-pervaia-iz-shestnadtsati-mednykh-statui-vnov-zaniala-svoio-mesto-na-shpile-sobora-parizhsko/
- Published: 2025-06-25T19:15:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:29:38.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Architecture, Faith, Heritage, Paris

The first statue to be placed on the spire was that of Saint Thomas, and it is in many ways a symbolic choice. Saint Thomas is regarded as the patron saint of architects.

The composition consists of figures of the 12 apostles and four symbolic figures of the evangelists: an angel for Saint Matthew, a lion for Saint Mark, an ox for Saint Luke and an eagle for Saint John. The statues are arranged around the 91-metre spire of Notre-Dame in groups of four.

These figures were created in 1861 by the French sculptor and goldsmith Adolphe Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume, who took part in designing many of the decorative elements of the cathedral.