When telling the story of Notre Dame of Paris, the story begins with the first stone, which Pope Alexander III laid on March 24, 1163, and with some works that lasted until 1345. But from now on it must be added that As important as those dates is next December 7, 2024. That day the reopening of the temple will take place after the devastating fire that left it seriously damaged in April 2019. 861 years later, the symbol cathedral of Paris is reborn.
This Friday, five years after the terrible fire, Notre Dame finally showed its revived splendor: more diaphanous and white. Eight days before its reopening, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the building. “Even more beautiful than before, with the rediscovered radiance of its blonde stones and the color of the chapels,” said the president, who has been deeply involved in the project and has visited the cathedral on several occasions.
The French presidency has not spared any adjectives to present its visit: “radiance”, “fascination”, “shocking” view, “coloured fireworks”, etc. Those responsible highlight the surprising contrast with the “open vault”, the “charred garbage” and the “unbearable” smell which manifested itself on the night of the fire, April 15, 2019.
A project that has cost 700 million euros
Restoration work has allowed the dirt accumulated over decades to be cleaned. Now Notre Dame shows a purity such as was perhaps not seen even in 1345 when its long and laborious construction of almost 200 years was completed. In just five, the Catholic temple looks dazzling as never before. To achieve this, around 700 million euros have been spent.obtained exclusively with donations.
The reopening of Notre Dame is the result of an enormous collective effort. The Church, the State, the patrons have joined the commitment… and of course, the 2,000 people who have done it with their own hands: architects, archaeologists, bricklayers, carpenters, roofers, stonemasons, foundries, art experts, sculptors, engineers, etc.
“The Notre-Dame fire was a national wound, and you have been its remedy through will, work and commitment.”
Your efforts have meant a huge boost for French craftsmanship. The Notre Dame project has meant that many trades have seen the number of apprentices increase thanks to publicity. Those 2,000 people were present, expressly invited, in Macron’s walk through the cathedral this Friday. “It is the opportunity to thank them,” said the president.
“The Notre-Dame fire was a national wound, and you have been its remedy by will, by work, by commitment… I am so deeply grateful, France is so deeply grateful“Macron said after his visit.
846 million were raised
In April 2019, with the cathedral still smoking, Macron promised to reopen it to visitors within five years. And he has fulfilled it. To this end, a public body was created by law to manage the works and an appeal was made to raise funds. It was a complete success. 846 million euros were obtained, largely from from large sponsors, but also from hundreds of thousands of small donors.
Responsibility for the task fell to Jean-Louis Georgelinan army general. But he has not been able to see the result of the collective effort: he died in an accident in August 2023. He replaced him Philippe Jost.
The first thing was to make the location safe. Then, dismantle the enormous tangle of metal scaffolding that once surrounded the needlebut they melted in the fire and fused with the stone.
The dilemma: recreate or invent
At that point it was necessary to decide whether to faithfully recreate the medieval building and the 19th century neo-Gothic changes made by Viollet-le-Duc, or to give the temple a modern imprint with the contribution of 21st century artists. That second option was discarded.
So the reconstruction is essentially faithful to the original, although with some concessions to modern materials and safety requirementssays the BBC. The roof beams, for example, are now protected with sprinklers and partitions.
The only point of contention that remains is Macron’s desire for a modern design for the stained glass windows of six side chapels. The artists have entered a competition, but there is strong opposition in the French art world.
On December 7 it reopens its doors
The job of reopening of Notre Dame, presided over by the archbishop of Pariswill take place in the late afternoon of December 7. It will be in the presence of the President of the Republic, officials, godparents jointly invited by the State and the diocese, representatives of all the parishes of Paris, members of the cathedral chapter and the Parisian clergy.
During the rite of opening the doors, The archbishop will hit the closed door with his staff of the cathedral. Inside, the response will be by singing Psalm 121 three times. The temple will resonate again and for the third time it will open its doors.
The reopening ceremonies will continue with an octave until December 15 and two concerts from Magnificat by Johann Sebastian Bach on December 17 and 18. Numerous demonstrations will punctuate the life of the cathedral to allow as many people as possible to rediscover Notre Dame. For example, until Pentecost in June 2025, there will be weekly concerts on Tuesdays.
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