On Dec. 8, the Notre-Dame de Paris, often called the Notre-Dame, reopened to the public for the first time after a fire in April 2019.
History of Notre-Dame:
Notre-Dame began construction in 1163 and was largely finished by 1260, with minor modifications in the following centuries. The cathedral oversaw the French Revolution, when much of its religious imagery was destroyed, hosted Napoleon’s 1804 coronation as Emperor of the French, and inspired Victor Hugo’s publication of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Notre-Dame contains Baroque and Gothic sculptures and is home to many important relics of Christianity, including Jesus’ crown of thorns and a silver nail from the original cross. Before the fire, it hosted an average of 13 million visitors yearly, more than the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Palace of Versailles, and second to only Disneyland Paris.
The fire:
In 2017, a $135 million campaign was planned to restore the weathered cathedral. However, a fire, the cause of which is still unknown, that engulfed the roof on April 5, 2019, put those plans on hold. What began as a small fire under the eaves quickly became a catastrophe, with two-thirds of the roof collapsing in just a few hours. Upon further investigation, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office determined that the fire could have been avoided. While the cathedral was undergoing renovation efforts at the time, it still lacked any semblance of a fire safety system that could have saved the attic and spire.
Rebuilding efforts:
After the 2019 fire, French President Emmanuel Macron stated his plan to rebuild the cathedral within 5 years. Beyond the general structure, the initiative made efforts to restore the cathedral’s famous 8000-pipe organ, which had become coated in toxic dust, as well as its spire, which required the chopping down of 1,000 French Oak Trees sourced from the Bercé forest to build. Despite delays from COVID-19, the work was completed within the timeframe. While the rebuilt cathedral is now open to the public, its construction will not be complete until 2026. The apse and sacristy are set to be finished sometime next year, whilst the new stained glass windows will be installed a year later. Currently, the French Ministry of Culture is holding a contest for the windows and eight finalists remain.
Ceremony highlights:
The cathedral reopened with a ceremony attended by French officials, foreign dignitaries, donors, and celebrities. The ceremony kicked off with a service delivered by the Paris archbishop, followed by a film about the cathedral’s renovation. The ceremony paid tribute to the firefighters who rescued the historic building and the artisans who dedicated five years to renovating the cathedral. After a speech delivered by President Emmanuel Macron, the religious service began—with the archbishop blessing the cathedral’s great organ, which had to be cleaned of toxic dust. Performances by Pharell Williams, pianist Lang Lang, and Beninese-French singer Angélique Kidjo closed the event. Notable attendees included world leaders like Prince William, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The president-elect met privately with Macron and Zelenskyy before the event and with Prince William following the ceremony. Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and world’s richest man, was also in attendance.
