The fire which had ravaged it had dismayed the whole world. The collapse of its spire, to the cries of onlookers, signaled the loss of an international jewel. Five years later, Notre-Dame has, however, found its familiar silhouette and will welcome its first visitors on December 7.
The feeling of loss seemed infinite in the face of the flames which on April 15, 2019 devoured one of the largest cathedrals in the West, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
But five years of a titanic project, which cost a total of nearly 700 million euros, made it possible to resurrect Notre-Dame from its ashes.
Symbol of the renewal of the cathedral, the spire, which collapsed before the stunned eyes of Parisians and millions of viewers around the world, rises again into the sky.
The walls, clogged by the fire, have regained their original color. The stained glass windows, which were not damaged during the fire, were cleaned and restored, revealing their vibrant colors.
The Olympic bell and “its two little sisters”
Thursday morning, just one month before the reopening of the cathedral, Notre-Dame received three new bells, including that of the Paris 2024 Olympics, installed this summer at the Stade de France.
>> Listen to RTSreligion’s explanations on the 2024 Olympic bell:
“The bell offered by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the cathedral is a strong symbol and a material legacy of this universal, historic and unifying event which marked the year 2024,” underlines a press release.
As for the ceremony planned for the reopening, few details have so far filtered out. Pope Francis, who was once expected, will ultimately not attend.
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