For some, it was the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. For them, the event of 2024 not to be missed took place this evening with the first mass open to the public in the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, five years after the fire which shocked the world.
Open to all, this celebration was very popular since reservations, free of charge, were made through the Notre-Dame website or its application and all 1,500 places were gone in a few minutes. And for good reason, the vast majority of those present on the square this Sunday evening are fierce.
Ready for anything
“It was impossible for me not to be there tonight. I would have been able to scale the roofs of Île la Cité to get a seat in the cathedral tonight. » A little extreme, Edwin* is nevertheless just one of those crazy people from Notre-Dame who did everything to be there. A student from Reims, this young, non-practicing believer, 24 years old, is especially familiar with religious buildings. “Obviously, as a Rémois, I went to a good school. But Notre Dame has something special. Even more so since the fire. It adds mystique. I couldn't wait any longer, even if it meant hiding it from my parents who thought I was studying. »
He couldn't wait either. Without even knowing if he could have a place, Stéphane had been buying his Toulouse-Paris train tickets for several months, with no guarantee of being able to get in: “I didn't even wait to find out if my boss would grant me my leave. I had to be there. » A true “lover of Notre-Dame”, he braved the pouring rain, a few minutes before entering the cathedral with the smile of a child who is about to discover Disneyland. “I logged in on all my devices, laptops and computers on Tuesday to get places. So, I have some for tonight [dimanche]but also for tomorrow's mass [lundi]and I was even on the docks last night [samedi] to attend the reopening ceremony. »
If her native Occitanie is not next door, it is nothing compared to the journey that some have faced like Rorie, a 32-year-old Scottish woman who made the trip especially for the occasion. “I had known for several months that I had a ticket. A friend of mine worked on the renovation of Notre-Dame and promised me one. So I was able to prepare my trip. I'm so happy to be able to be here. Notre-Dame is one of the pillars of Catholicism in the world. Seeing it reborn reinforces the hope that faith resists everything, all the time. »
By faith or love of architecture
A faith which also moved Heidi and her grandson Adam, a young autistic child obsessed with Notre-Dame de Paris. “He wanted to celebrate Saint Nicholas in the cathedral. It will be for next year. But I still absolutely wanted to come. Because I am sure it will bring changes in his life. »
Even though he is a believer, Daniel, a young Colombian engineer living in Paris, came more for the beauty of the cathedral and the heritage aspect of its renovation. “In South America, we are a young continent, so we are used to young buildings. Here, the churches have more stories and are often darker and more marked. It's rare to see a church renovated to this extent here. I’m really looking forward to seeing her,” he smiles, admitting to having postponed a videoconference meeting so as not to miss the start of online booking on Tuesday. Generous, he still made up for it by taking as many tickets as possible to invite his friends.
“It was magnificent! Divine ! »
His biggest expectation? See the interior of the cathedral, its blond stone, its new features, etc. : “I tried not to look at too many images beforehand to have as much surprise as possible once inside. »
And we have to believe that it was worth it at the end of the mass where the faithful emerge in a form of effervescence well summed up by Edwin* who seems to have experienced an epiphany. With bright eyes, he sums up: “I was expecting something beautiful. It was grandiose. It goes far beyond the simple question of religion. It's divine. »
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