[imagesource:wikimedia]

After five years of work and millions in donations, The Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has been restored to its former glory, and is ready to welcome ‘the whole world’.

Lauded as “a French success for which all French people are called to rejoice,” the iconic cathedral will have a grand reopening on December 7 and 8, as it will take more than one day to celebrate the event “in the dignified manner deserved by one of the most famous and visited world heritage landmarks, not to mention its religious significance through centuries of history”.

President Emmanuel Macron and the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, will lead the celebration, which is expected to draw foreign heads of state, religious representatives, donors, famous artists and celebrities – minus the pope however.

“The cathedral has been returned to its former glory with the help of millions in donations and hundreds of specialist artisans using age-old skills.”

The reopening of Notre-Dame fulfils the French president’s vow, made in mid-April 2019, as firemen quenched the embers of the flames, that the church will be restored “more beautiful than ever” within five years.

The 2019 fire destroyed a large part of the 860-year-old building, including the central spire, which fell during the inferno. The blaze was accidentally started under the cathedral’s roof, leaving Parisians in horror and the rest of the world in mourning as they watched on TV and social media.

In the aftermath of the fire, donations by the millions were pledged for the restoration. About €500 million have been spent on the reconstruction. Before the fire, the cathedral was the most visited site in Europe, attracting between 12 and 13 million tourists per year.

“A surplus of about €140 million will be used for future preservation work on the 861-year-old building,” said Philippe Jost, who has overseen the project “which was not in a very good state before the fire.”

The final plans for the reopening came to fruition not without controversy: “For months, the Élysée and the diocese of Paris have been trying to organize the ceremonies for December 7 and 8,” Le Figaro reports. “The two parties have sometimes had to fight. But finally, a multi-stage plan – secular, republican, religious and cultural – has been agreed upon.”

Other symbolic events have taken place in preparation for the actual two-day reopening.

On November 29, the “construction site of the century” will be formally closed, and President Macron, along by Archbishop Ulrich, will conduct a ceremony within the cathedral to honour the artisans, artists, and staff who helped make the rebirth possible.

Almost 2,000 workers worked on the building site over the previous five years, and “all have been invited and will be given a commemorative diploma,” according to the Élysée Palace.

Other important events have already occurred, such as the return home last week of a near-life-size statue of the Virgin and Child dating from the 14th century, first placed in the cathedral in 1818 and rescued from the devastating fire, was the last major event before the cathedral officially reopens.

Around 2,000 people have been invited to the ceremony which will be broadcast around the world. Various international artists are expected, including Paul McCartney, Bono, the “barefoot trumpeter” Lucienne Renaudin Vary and the conductor Gustavo Dudamel, among others.

At the end of the religious ceremony, Notre-Dame will be considered reopened.

[source:forbes]