Notre Dame prepares for its reopening: this will be the event that will celebrate a milestone in history

Our Lady
It will formally reopen its doors on December 7, 2024, five years after the Paris cathedral was devastated by fire. World leaders will appear at the cathedral to celebrate its remarkably rapid restoration.

Shown as an example of French creativity and resistance by President Emmanuel Macron, the revival of Notre Dame so soon after a 2019 fire that destroyed its roof and spire, It comes at a difficult time for the country.

(Read also: Heroes of Notre Dame: fighting against time and flames they saved several treasures)

The sense of national achievement in restoring a beloved symbol of Paris has been undermined by political turmoil that has left France without a proper government and in a budget crisis.

Macron hopes the first full service inside Notre Dame and the sight of some 40 world leaders in Paris can provide a fleeting sense of pride and unity, just as the Paris Olympics did in July and August.

The reopening “is proof that we know how to do great things, we know how to do the impossible and the entire world has admired us for it on two occasions this year”Macron said during a televised address on Thursday, referring to the widely praised Olympic Games.

A surprising absence at the event will be that of Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, who has decided not to interrupt his weekend trip to the French island of Corsica.

The reconstruction of Notre Dame

Parisians watched in horror in 2019 as flames devastated Notre Dame, a emblematic monument famous as the setting for the novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo and one of the most visited monuments in the world.

Apocalyptic images were even seen by some as a sign of the demise of Western civilization, with the wonder of 850 years old was saved from total collapse only through the heroic intervention of firefighters.

“It was a moment of terrible emotions, like a premonition of our world in trouble“fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajaca recently told AFP.

The exact cause of the fire has never been identified despite a forensic investigation carried out by prosecutors who believe an accident such as a short circuit is the most likely reason.

The rebuilding effort has cost about $750 million, funded by donations.achieving reopening within five years despite predictions that it could take decades.

The workers had to overcome problems with lead contamination, the Covid-19 epidemic, and the death of the general supervisor of the project while hiking in the Pyrenees last year.

(Also read: During excavations, two sarcophagi were found under the Notre Dame Cathedral)

What will the reopening of the cathedral be like?

The service will have prayer, organ music and hymns from the cathedral choirfollowed by a televised concert with performances by Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang, South African opera singer Pretty Yende and possibly American singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams.

Bad weather forced officials to move Macron’s planned speech indoors and pre-record the concert on Friday night, with winds forecast at up to 80 kilometers per hour, as Storm Darragh put parts of France on red alert.

On Sunday, the first Mass with 170 bishops and more than 100 priests from Paris will take place at 10:30 am, followed by a second afternoon service at 6:30 pm that will be open to the public.

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP

(Also read: Notre Dame treasures that disappeared in the flames and those that survived the disaster)