The restored Notre-Dame Cathedral will reopen on Saturday, five years after the fire. By Ingrid Melander, Ardee and Napolitano.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, a centuries-old Paris icon, will reopen on Saturday, five and a half years after a terrible fire devastated its spire and roof, bringing the entire Gothic masterpiece within minutes of toppling. The 860-year-old medieval structure has been expertly rebuilt, with a new spire and rib vaulting, flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles restored to its former brilliance, and white stone and gold ornamentation that shine brighter than ever. President Emmanuel Macron, who is dealing with a major political crisis at home, will welcome U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and scores of heads of state and government, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to a grandiose opening ceremony scheduled to begin about 7 p.m.
“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.”
Forecast strong winds mean the celebrations will be held entirely inside the cathedral, organisers said on Friday. Macron had initially been expected to deliver a speech outside.
“I’m afraid I’ll fall to the ground when I enter because it will be very emotional,” said choir member Cecilia De Vargas, who is due to take part in the opening ceremony.
“Despite the horrible thing that happened, there’s a positive side, seeing how all the people, all the French people sought to rebuild the cathedral with such speed.”
Pascal Tordeux, a caregiving assistant who lives across the river from Notre-Dame said: “I saw the construction every day from my window, the spire being brought down, being brought back. I saw it burn, I saw it rising again …thinking one day it will be finished. And it’s finished.” Displaying tattoos on his arm representing Notre-Dame, the Virgin Mary and a stained glass window, he added: “What does Notre-Dame mean to me? This,”
