If cranes still sit above the jewel of Gothic art, which also retains scaffolding in places, the extraordinary construction site is nearing its end, the public establishment which supervises it confirmed to AFP.
On the square, tourists, still kept at a distance behind fences topped with barbed wire in places, flock daily to try to see the latest exterior works, including the laying of a new pavement of limestone slabs in front of the large main gate. .
The absent pope
Notre-Dame welcomed 12 million visitors in 2017. The diocese and the public establishment expect to receive “14 to 15 million” after the reopening, which will be accompanied by new signage, a plan redesigned circulation system and an online reservation system.
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When they enter the cathedral, faithful and visitors will discover a refined central axis, brand new minimalist liturgical furniture in brown bronze, a contemporary reliquary wall in cedar wood and glass blocks forming a halo and housing the crown of thorns of Christ, and a cathedral luminous as never before, of which AFP was able to have a glimpse a few months ago.
The walls, clogged by fire and time, have regained the blondness of their stones. The stained glass windows, which were not damaged during the fire, were cleaned and restored, revealing their vibrant colors like the painted decorations of the chapels created by Viollet-le-Duc which contrast with the black and white checkerboard floor.
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The public will also rediscover the large restored “mays”, these altar paintings commissioned each year from great artists, between 1630 and 1707 by the corporation of goldsmiths who offered them to the cathedral.
The building, which had its eight bells back in September, welcomed three others on Thursday, including the one that was at the Stade de France during the Paris Games.
The latter “will no longer ring to signify the victory of the athletes but to signify the victory of life over death” and “of light over darkness”, underlined Mgr Oliver Ribadeau Dumas, rector of Notre-Dame, at this time. occasion.
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As for the ceremony planned for the reopening, which Pope Francis – once expected – will ultimately not attend, few details have so far filtered out.
The Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, announced that President Emmanuel Macron would speak in the cathedral on December 7 and that it would include an “awakening of the organ”, which was “completely dismantled, cleaned and put back in working order.
700 million euros
Other elements concerning this day must be disclosed during a press conference scheduled for November 13, but press reports have recently mentioned tensions between the Elysée and the diocese relating to the progress of the protocol ceremony, the list of guests and its financing.
However, it is certain that a mass will take place on December 8 in the cathedral to consecrate the new altar. It will be followed by several other services to thank all those who contributed to the restoration of the cathedral.
Enough to punctuate a titanic project which will have mobilized 250 companies, as well as hundreds of craftsmen, and cost a total of nearly 700 million euros financed by the 846 million euros in donations which poured in from 150 countries in a surge unprecedented solidarity the day after the fire.
