His seventh visit will be the last before the big day. Emmanuel Macron visits the construction site of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Friday November 29, before its reopening to the public on December 7 and 8. The highlight of the show will not be the sight of the President of the Republic wearing a construction helmet, but the broadcast on France 2 of the first images of the interior of the cathedral, completely restored. The Elysée announces a “presidential stroll” in the building and a time scheduled for “thank those thanks to whom this operation could be carried out”by bringing together all the trades represented on the site. Ask for the program!
The first glimpse of the restored cathedral during the special edition of France 2. These are the most anticipated images of this visit: what does the interior of the cathedral look like? The curious will be able to discover it on France 2, during a special edition broadcast between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Elysée has warned that you should expect to be dazzled by the whiteness of the nave, the stones having been completely cleaned. “The cathedral as it will appear on November 29 has never been seen in living memory, at least since the end of the restoration work at Viollet-le-Duc in the 1870s”underlines Philippe Bélaval, the president’s culture advisor.
The craftsmen of the site put in the spotlight. Emmanuel Macron is due to give a speech to some of the more than 2,000 people who took part in the restoration work on the cathedral. 1,300 companions will be present and all will receive a diploma “evidence of their professional commitment and the high quality of their skills”assures the Elysée.
Donors also thanked. The Head of State also intends to pay tribute to the (numerous) donors who made it possible to raise the pharaonic sum of 840 million euros to help the building recover from the fire which ravaged it on April 15, 2019 .
A visit to the framework in a small group. A small number of people will access the framework, due to the cramped conditions of the premises. In this wooden structure, Emmanuel Macron and Philippe Jost, president of the public establishment for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, will meet Rémy Fromont, chief architect of historic monuments and Jean-Louis Bidet, one of the carpenters who worked on the reconstruction of the framework of the cathedral. Business manager Julien Lebras, president of the Le Bras Frères group, will explain the unique nature of the reconstruction of the spire.
The last presidential speech in the enclosure. Separation of Church and State requires, Emmanuel Macron will no longer speak in the cathedral once it has been returned to worship, during the weekend of celebrations of December 7 and 8. It is therefore during this final site visit that he will speak one last time within the grounds of the religious building, around 12:20 p.m.
