The first images of the cathedral post-reconstruction

Eight days ahead of the December 7 reopening of the cathedral, French President Emmanuel Macron conducted an inspection, on Friday, November 29 − broadcast live on television − of the restored Notre-Dame de Paris. It provided the first official insight into how the 850-year-old edifice now looks inside.

Images showed the iconic cathedral as worshippers might have experienced it back in medieval times, its wide, open spaces filled with bright light on a crisp and sunny winter’s day that lit up the vibrant colors of the stained-glass windows.

Macron’s visit kicks off a series of events ushering in the reopening of the 12^th-century Gothic masterpiece.

Gaping holes that the blaze tore into the vaulted ceilings, leaving charred piles of debris, are gone, now filled in with new stonework. Delicate golden angels look on from the centerpiece of one of the rebuilt ceilings.

The cathedral’s limestone walls look brand new, cleaned not only of dust from the fire but also of grime that had accumulated for years.

Powerful vacuum cleaners were used to first remove toxic dust released when the fire melted the cathedral’s lead roofs. Fine layers of latex were then sprayed onto the surfaces and removed a few days later, taking dirt away with them.

Macron entered via the cathedral’s giant and intricately carved front doors and stared up at the ceilings in wonder. He was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte, the archbishop of Paris and others.

Notre-Dame will welcome back visitors and worshippers over the December 7-8 weekend. Some 250 companies and hundreds of experts were mobilized for a restoration costing hundreds of millions of euros in what was dubbed the “building site of the century”. All 2,000 people who contributed to the work have been invited to Friday’s event, of whom at least 1,300 are expected to attend.