After more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre-Dame de Paris is about to unveil its new self to the world. French President Emmanuel Macron is making a final visit of the cathedral's construction site on Friday, November 29, a watershed in the rebirth from its devastating fire in 2019. He will see the restored interiors for himself before the iconic monument's reopening on the weekend of December 7-8.
His two-hour tour will be broadcast live. The images are expected to be breathtaking, showing creamy renovated stonework, vibrant colors, and other fruits of the mammoth reconstruction. Joined by artisans, architects, business leaders, and donors, Macron is expected to pay tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of all those who worked to bring Notre-Dame back to life.
Macron is scheduled to inspect the restored nave, no longer ripped open by giant holes that the fire tore out of its vaults. He is also to see the rebuilt timber-framed roof, rebuilt with wood from hundreds of oak trees, and other highlights of the reconstruction.
The visit kicks off a series of events ushering in the reopening of the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece.
The day after the April 2019 blaze that destroyed the spire and roof, Macron pledged that "we will rebuild the cathedral to be even more beautiful, and I want it to be completed within five years." The reality has proven more complex. While the interior will be ready to host visitors and the faithful on December 8 for the first time since 2019, scaffolding at the base of the newly-restored spire will remain into 2025 and for another three years on the monument's east side, Philippe Jost, who is masterminding the reconstruction, told The Associated Press (AP) this month.
Some of the worst damage was to the medieval monument's roof and its dense latticework of wooden beams, so complicated that it was nicknamed "the forest." The flames also brought down the spire, sending charred debris into the cathedral's interior. Architecture experts say the pace of restoration has been remarkable, particularly given the constraints of 21st-century safety regulations and the need for historical accuracy.
Notre-Dame's original construction spanned nearly 200 years, beginning in 1163. "Notre-Dame's reconstruction is a sign of hope for everyone," Reverand Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, the cathedral rector, has said.
Initial hopes for a full restoration by 2024 dimmed after the Covid-19 pandemic slowed work. The late General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the former reconstruction chief, tempered expectations in 2023, saying the reopening would be "partial."
Macron's administration is hailing the reconstruction as a symbol of national unity and French know-how. His office likens the restoration to other national milestones such as the Paris Olympics. His tour of the monument on Friday will be his seventh since the fire. Presidential officials say he'll see gleaming white finishes of restored stonework, vaults rebuilt with precision to their original 13th-century design, and the once-again radiant golden cross at the altar. Murals, including those in the Saint-Marcel Chapel, are as vibrantly colorful again as when first painted and sculptures of Louis XIII and XIV glisten with refreshed colors, they say.
After a December 7 ceremony where Macron will give a speech on the cathedral forecourt, an inaugural mass the next day will signal its return to public life. The public will be welcomed until 10 pm during the first week, with free, ticketed entry. Liturgical life then resume in full from December 16.
The archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, expects Notre-Dame will quickly surpass its pre-blaze visitor numbers. He is bracing for 15 million visitors annually – seemingly confident that for most, the work that's unfinished won't be a cardinal disappointment.