24 days before the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral this Wednesday, November 13, the diocese of Paris unveiled the program of festivities from the Collège des Bernardins.
A week of festivities and exceptional celebrations are planned from December 7 to 15 for the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, ravaged five years ago by a fire. The diocese of Paris unveiled the program for these days during a press conference this Wednesday, November 13 from the Collège des Bernardins.
A unique celebration on December 7
On Saturday, December 7, the inauguration of Notre-Dame church will take place. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will speak from the square in front of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral before the official entry into the building.
The archbishop will perform an initial rite by using his crosier to open the doors of the building. He will then perform the ritual of awakening the organ by calling on it eight times. A liturgical celebration including a blessing, and two songs, the Magnificat and a Te Deum.
Places will be limited to hand-picked guests. The list of personalities is “being finalized,” explained the archbishop. The Élysée and the diocese co-manage this subject. Special programs will be offered by France Télévision to bring this event to life.
First mass on December 8 and festive octave
On Sunday, December 8, a mass will take place with the consecration of the altar and the performance of “expressive rites”, the laying of relics, offerings of incense… A fraternal buffet welcoming the most deprived and their companions will punctuate this mass.
After these two launch days, eight days of festivities, called “an octave”, will begin. The first week, from December 8, Notre-Dame will reopen “until 10 p.m.”, said the rector of the cathedral Mgr Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas on Wednesday.
Masses and highlights will mark these exceptional days, such as the reception of the crown of thorns and its placement at the back of the cathedral in the large reliquary on December 13. A mass dedicated to the Paris firefighters, the companions and all those who participated in the construction site will be given on December 15.
From December 16, the cathedral will return to its “ordinary” mode of operation with its three daily masses, as they were celebrated before the fire. The highlights will continue despite everything with, for example, two concerts by the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris on December 17 and 18.
A smooth reservation system
Expecting to receive a large number of people, the diocese of Paris has prepared a reservation system. It will be accessible via the cathedral's website and an application and will allow you to reserve an individual visit slot on the same day and up to 48 hours before your arrival.
The slots will change according to the building's occupancy rate measured every quarter of an hour. A free access visiting line will be maintained.
“There is great impatience to welcome the whole world, 15 million visitors, under the vaults. It is up to us to welcome them generously and to share with them, free of charge, the beauty found there (…) We maintain our position unchanged by the church on the need for free access to churches and cathedrals. This principle does not conflict with the need to safeguard the religious heritage of our country. express and propose solutions. We will be there to discuss this important subject with the conference of bishops of France,” added the archbishop.
