Songs, organ and prayer resounded in the cathedral in Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday for these religious ceremonies.
To attend Christmas masses at Notre-Dame de Paris, Tuesday December 24, patience was required. No reservation was possible and access to the cathedral would be limited to available places, the diocese of Paris had warned. The building remains subject to a strict capacity of 2,700 people, causing a long queue in front of the building, completely renovated after being largely destroyed by a fire on April 15, 2019, and reopened to the public on December 8.
The cathedral attracted many faithful during several services, in particular for the traditional midnight mass. “Joy in heaven, peace on earth, Merry Christmas to all of you who are here in this cathedral to celebrate the feast of Christmas,” launched the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, on this occasion. A little earlier, the latter had paid tribute in a message to “talents deployed on the restoration site” who allowed “may the pain of the fire and the five years of separation be erased to leave only the joy of reunion, the joy of living together again in this common house, the house of God”. Franceinfo returns in images to these special hours at Notre-Dame.
The Diocese of Notre-Dame advised arriving 30 minutes before the time of the celebrations, December 24, 2024, “keeping in mind that queues can be long, with a risk of not being able to access the cathedral. (THOMAS PADILLA/AP/SIPA)
The cathedral reopened its doors on December 8, 2024, allowing midnight mass to be held on the night of December 24 to 25, 2024. (TERESA SUAREZ / MAXPPP)
The light of candles… and that of mobile phones shine in the Parisian cathedral, on this evening of December 24, 2024. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
Since the fire which devastated it in April 2019, the cathedral had no longer hosted Christmas masses which celebrate, for Catholics, the birth of Jesus. (MARIO FOURMY / SIPA)
The choir of Notre-Dame de Paris resounds in the cathedral during this mass which takes place on the night of December 24 to 25, 2024. (TERESA SUAREZ / EPA / MAXPPP)
“Joy in heaven, peace on earth, Merry Christmas to all of you who are here in this cathedral to celebrate the Christmas holiday,” said the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, to those gathered on the night of the 24th to the 25th. December 2024 in this 12th century Gothic masterpiece. (TERESA SUAREZ / EPA / MAXPPP)
People gather in Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, which is particularly crowded for this midnight mass on December 25, 2024. (TERESA SUAREZ / EPA / MAXPPP)
Despite the late hour, on December 25, 2024, visitors stroll through the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, under the completely reconstructed arches. (TERESA SUAREZ / EPA / MAXPPP)
Soldiers protect Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, December 24, 2024. (MOHAMAD SALAHELDIN ABDELG ALSAYE / ANADOLU / AFP)
The gray weather did not prevent visitors from crowding the doors of Notre-Dame de Paris on December 24, 2024, to discover the completely renovated cathedral. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
