Iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens 5 years after fire

The centuries-old Paris landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens on Saturday evening, five-and-a-half years after a devastating fire destroyed its spire and roof and brought the entire Gothic masterpiece within minutes of collapsing.

The medieval building, which dates back more than 860 years, has been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting, its flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles returned to their past glory and the white stone and gold decorations shining brightly once again.

President Emmanuel Macron, grappling with a deep political crisis at home, welcomed US President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William and dozens of heads of state and government including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to an opening ceremony at about 7pm (1800 GMT).

Tech tycoon Elon Musk, who has emerged as a close advisor in Trump’s transition team, also attended the ceremony, a French government source said. Tourists, who still cannot go inside the cathedral, snapped pictures with the restored building in the background as the final preparations for the event went on inside.

“It was very sad to see it burnt down and all black and ashy but amazing to see it rebuilt. Yeah, it’s very special,” said 26-year-old US tourist Amanda Nguyen, visiting from Texas.

Some Parisians were particularly thrilled.

“What does Notre-Dame mean to me? This. Look, it’s here,” said careworker Pascal Tordeux, displaying a tattoo on his arm representing the cathedral. “It means everything.”

“I saw the construction every day from my window, the spire being brought down, being brought back. I saw it burn, I saw it rise again. I followed it day by day,” said Tordeux, who lives across the river from Notre-Dame.

On the evening of April 15, 2019, many Parisians rushed to the scene and TV viewers worldwide watched horrified as the fire raged through the cathedral.

“The planet was shaken on that day,” Macron said ahead of Saturday’s event.

“The shock of the reopening will - I believe and I want to believe - be as strong as that of the fire, but it will be a shock of hope.”

At the start of the ceremony, the Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich will knock on the cathedral’s heavy doors with his crozier.

From within the cathedral, a psalm will be sung three times and the doors will then open. Ulrich will bless the ancient organ before it starts playing and a religious service will follow.

Forecast strong winds mean the non-religious part of the celebrations, including Macron’s speech, which had been set to be held outside the cathedral, will also be held inside.

Would-be visitors can now book a free ticket online, on the Cathedral’s website. But on Saturday, the first day bookings could be made for the coming days, all tickets were gone, a message on the site said. Group visits will be allowed next year - from Feb.1 for religious groups or from June 9 for tourists with guides.

The Catholic Church expects the cathedral to welcome some 15 million visitors each year.

Thousands of expert craftspeople - from carpenters and stonemasons to stained glass window artists - worked around the clock for the last five years, using age-old methods to restore, repair or replace everything that was destroyed or damaged.

“Notre-Dame is more than a Parisian or French monument. It’s also a universal monument,” said historian Damien Berne.

“It’s a landmark, an emblem, a point of reference that reassures in a globalised world where everything evolves permanently,” said Berne, a member of the scientific council for the restoration.

The cathedral’s first stone was laid in 1163, and construction continued for much of the next century, with major restoration and additions made in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Victor Hugo helped make the cathedral a symbol of both Paris and France when he used it as a setting for his 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”. Quasimodo, the main character, has been portrayed in Hollywood movies, an animated Disney adaptation and in musicals.

So much money poured in for the renovation from all over the world - more than 840 million euros ($882 million), according to Macron’s office - there are still funds left over for further investment in the building.

Reuters