Days after the Notre-Dame fire, discussions began on the restoration of the historic site. In its current state, architects say repairs may take much longer than five years, the time frame French President Emmanuel Macron promised to coincide with the 2024 Olympic Games. Our correspondent Stefan de Vries has more from Paris.

STEFAN DE VRIES PARIS "Now it seems that the structure of the Notre Dame has been saved, the debate about the reconstruction of the cathedral has begun."

We spoke with two renowned heritage architects, that specialize in monument conservation. They think the enormous Cathedral is still in the danger zone.

URSULA BIUSO HERITAGE ARCHITECT "Its state is probably far worse than what we can see here. The walls, which were spared in the fire, have without a doubt lost a part of their resistance. I would say about 20 percent."

MARIE-AMELIE TEK HERITAGE ARCHITECT "The Gothic cathedral is very fragile. The building, the separate parts support each other's weight. Now, we have the impression, because the stones are still there, we feel reassured. We say, 'She's still there', but in reality, we have to be very careful with structures that have been so severely damaged, which do not guarantee the roles of weight, counterweight and support."

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron promised that the church would be ready within five years, just in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. But is that a realistic time frame?

URSULA BIUSO HERITAGE ARCHITECT "Five years? Well, we specialists can hardly imagine that. Even a very small renovation projection takes five years."

MARIE-AMELIE TEK HERITAGE ARCHITECT "Even the most experienced engineers, who are already working there, cannot answer the question. I think this is part of Macron's political agenda and is just a matter of communication. If we are pragmatic, we'd have to quickly consolidate the plan, then look at what can be saved and do all of it within five years. It seems pretty complicated to me."

So the project may take more time than President Macron wishes, but at least he doesn't need to worry how to finance the project.

STEFAN DE VRIES PARIS "Within days of the fire, over a billion euros were already promised. Amongst the generous donors are wealthy industrial families like Pinault, Arnault, or Bouygues, but also companies like Total or Walt Disney. Ordinary people from around the world continue giving money, and it is expected that the sum will grow considerably over the next couple of weeks. So although money is not a problem anymore, it will almost certainly take at least a decade before the world famous cathedral will be restored to its former glory. I'm Stefan de Vries for CGTN in Paris."