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Architect behind Notre Dame rebuild details mammoth task to complete project ahead of reopening
The world is gearing up for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral this weekend after more than five years of reconstruction following the devastating 2019 blaze. The ceremony will host around 50 heads of state, including President-elect Donald Trump.
FILE – People stand outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
People take photographs of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE – The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pedestrians pass Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE – The vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pedestrians take snapshots of Notre Dame Cathedral a day before its ceremonial reopening in Paris on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, following the devastating fire of 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Notre Dame cathedral is reflected in a puddle in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The Notre Dame cathedral is seen in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Architect behind Notre Dame rebuild details mammoth task to complete project ahead of reopening
The world is gearing up for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral this weekend after more than five years of reconstruction following the devastating 2019 blaze. The ceremony will host around 50 heads of state, including President-elect Donald Trump.
FILE – People stand outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE – People stand outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
People take photographs of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People take photographs of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE – The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE – The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pedestrians pass Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Pedestrians pass Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE – The vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE – The vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pedestrians take snapshots of Notre Dame Cathedral a day before its ceremonial reopening in Paris on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, following the devastating fire of 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Pedestrians take snapshots of Notre Dame Cathedral a day before its ceremonial reopening in Paris on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, following the devastating fire of 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Notre Dame cathedral is reflected in a puddle in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Notre Dame cathedral is reflected in a puddle in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The Notre Dame cathedral is seen in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
The Notre Dame cathedral is seen in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral is formally reopening its doors on Saturday for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019.
The restoration, a spectacular achievement in just five years for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build, is seen as a moment of triumph for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline — and a welcome respite from his domestic political woes.
FILE – The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE – The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Under the luminous stained glass, many world leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers will gather in the evening to mark the occasion — a rare moment of unity against the backdrop of global divisions and conflicts.
President-elect Donald Trump, America’s first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are among 1,500 guests attending the reopening celebration under Notre Dame’s soaring Gothic arches, led by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.
Because of strong winds forecast for Saturday evening in Paris, the French presidential palace and the Paris diocese said Friday the entire opening ceremony will be held inside Notre Dame, instead of starting from the cathedral’s forecourt as initially planned.
Pedestrians pass Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Pedestrians pass Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People take photographs of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People take photographs of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
FILE – The vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE – The vaulted ceiling of the Notre-Dame cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Notre Dame’s rector, Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, says the cathedral is “more than just a French monument” and a beloved treasure of world’s cultural heritage.
“The cathedral is a magnificent symbol of unity,” the rector said. “A sign of hope, because what seemed impossible has become possible.”
Saturday’s events will blend solemn religious tradition with an official presidential speech and cultural grandeur, starting with Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors.
Tapping them three times with a staff crafted from charred wood salvaged from the cathedral’s fire-ravaged roof, he will declare the cathedral open for worship once more.
Huguette Euphrasie’s 79-year-old mother, Marie-Yolande, is battling cancer. So as she stared intently up at Notre Dame’s towers, the daughter appealed Saturday to the cathedral for help, with a prayer on the day of the monument’s reopening.
“It has huge spiritual value for me,” Euphrasie said, gathering with people from around the world to watch the reopening from screens on nearby riverbanks. “It’s very moving.”
Among the thousands lining the Seine were Patricia and Cyrille Brenner, a devout Catholic couple who had traveled overnight from Cannes on the French Riviera. Though they weren’t invited inside, being part of the public viewing along the riverbanks felt like the fulfillment of a pilgrimage.
“It’s a bit like the Cannes festival,” said Patricia, 65. “You have to be there to experience it.”
Her husband Cyrille, 66, marveled at the cathedral’s restoration. For them, the fire — which spared sacred relics, statues, and the altar’s golden cross — held deeper meaning. “When you’re Christian, you tell yourself there are no coincidences,” he said. “If it happened, maybe God was saying, ‘We need to renew that fervor.’”
Psalms, prayers, and hymns will fill the cavernous space as the cathedral’s thunderous organ, silenced since the fire, is reawakened. The 8,000-pipe instrument, painstakingly restored and cleaned of toxic lead dust, will respond to the archbishop’s invocation, with four organists performing an improvised interplay of melodies.
Later in the evening, a star-studded concert will take center stage inside the cathedral and pay tribute to its resurrection and to those who labored to restore it, offering a universal message of harmony. Pianist Lang Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and soprano Pretty Yende are among the world-famous artists slated to perform.
On Sunday, Ulrich will lead the inaugural Mass and consecrate the cathedral’s new altar, designed by contemporary artist Guillaume Bardet to replace the one crushed beneath the flaming spire in the blaze.
The reopening of Notre Dame comes at a time of profound global unrest, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.
For Catholics, Notre Dame’s rector said the cathedral “carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.’’
“It is a magnificent symbol of unity,” Dumas said.
The range of dignitaries coming to Paris from Africa to the Mideast and the U.S. underline the cathedral’s significance as a symbol of shared heritage and peace.
The celebration is expected to give a much-needed boost to embattled Macron, whose prime minister was ousted this week, plunging the nation’s political scene into more turmoil.
The French president, who has called Notre Dame’s reopening “a jolt of hope,” will address the gathering. He had hoped the occasion would briefly silence his critics and showcase France’s unity and resilience under his leadership, and the achievement of restoring Notre Dame in just five years — a timeline that had seemed improbable to many.
Macron’s presidency now faces its gravest crisis after the government’s collapse this week in a historic no-confidence vote that toppled Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
The vote followed months of political gridlock after snap elections. Calls are now growing louder from opposition forces for Macron to resign. But he vowed Thursday to remain in office until the end of his term in 2027, and said he’ll name a new prime minister within days.
As France struggles with economic woes and social unrest, Notre Dame’s rebirth celebrations form a stark contrast to the crisis.
Security will be high through the weekend, echoing measures taken during the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
The Île de la Cité — the small island in the River Seine that is home to Notre Dame and the historic heart of Paris— is closed to tourists and non-residents. Police vans and barriers blocked cobblestoned streets in a large perimeter around the island, while soldiers in thick body armor and sniffer dogs patrolled embankments. A special security detail is following Trump.
Public viewing areas along the Seine’s southern bank will accommodate 40,000 spectators, who can follow the celebrations on large screens.
For many, Notre Dame’s rebirth is not just a French achievement but a global one — after the reopening, the cathedral is set to welcome 15 million visitors annually, up from 12 million before the fire.
Following the 2019 fire, nearly $1 billion in donations quickly poured in from around the world, testifying to Notre Dame’s universal appeal.
Among those who traveled from afar for the reopening was Canadian Noelle Alexandria.
“It’s not the first time she (Notre Dame) has been nearly in ruin, and every time it’s happened, she’s always managed to bounce back. Not many of us could really say that we would do the same, be able to keep coming back no matter what tragedy strike us. But she has,” Alexandria said.
John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.
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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.