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French President Emmanuel Macron praised on Friday the more than 1,000 craftspeople who helped rebuild Paris’ NotreDame Cathedral in what he called “the project of the century”, fiveandahalf years after fire gutted the Gothic masterpiece.
A view shows the altar of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, which was ravaged by a fire in 2019 (Reuters)
Five years after a catastrophic fire reduced Notre Dame Cathedral to a smoldering shell, journalists got a first glimpse of the Gothic masterpiece’s fully restored interiors during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The transformation is nothing short of breathtaking: light dances across brilliant stone, gilded accents gleam anew, and the iconic monument’s majesty is reborn. From Dec. 8, visitors will once again marvel at the cathedral’s blend of history and craftsmanship.
The nave, once darkened by soot and rubble, now radiates a celestial brilliance. Visitors can see the true color of the cathedral’s walls: a pale Lutetian limestone — named after the Roman word for Paris, Lutecia — that glows under sunlight streaming through restored stained-glass windows. The newfound blond hues highlight the soaring Gothic columns and ribbed vaults, creating a bright and uplifting atmosphere. Restorers say it’s the first time in centuries the true stone has been exposed in this way.
The polished checkerboard marble floor, glistening underfoot, is so smooth it seems you could glide across it — communicating with the gilded, golden grille partition of the choir area.
Overhead, incandescent chandeliers hang majestically from each vaulted arch, stretching from west to east, casting a warm, golden light throughout the nave.
The meticulous restoration process involved cleaning over 42,000 square meters of stone — an area equivalent to roughly six soccer fields — using innovative latex peels to strip away centuries of grime without causing damage. Conservators uncovered mason marks etched by medieval builders — intimate traces of the artisans who shaped Notre Dame in the 12th and 13th centuries.
This gleaming transformation is a stark contrast to the wreckage of 2019, when the nave was strewn with charred debris.
The altar in the cathedral’s chancel carries a poignant symbol of the fire’s devastation. Nicolas Coustou’s Pietà, part of the Vœu de Louis XIII ensemble, survived largely unscathed, but molten lead from the blaze fused into the hand of Christ. Restorers chose to preserve this as a subtle, yet powerful, reminder of the tragedy.
Surrounding the altar, the intricate marquetry floor, long hidden under layers of dirt, has been pieced together from fragments recovered after the fire.
Nearby, the polished Cross of Glory, which famously — literally — glowed amid the flames, now stands restored to its full brilliance. Framed by the radiant blonde stonework of the nave, the cross serves as a centerpiece of the cathedral’s rebirth.
The grand organ, among the largest and most storied in France, has undergone an intricate revival. Spared from the flames but coated in lead dust, its 8,000 pipes, ranging in size from that of a pen to over 10 meters (33 feet) tall, were painstakingly disassembled, cleaned, and retuned. Over two years, this work was performed with precision in the cathedral’s silent, cavernous interior, where harmonization was achieved entirely by ear.
Now, the organ’s grandeur is unmistakable. Its towering wooden case, marked with carvings left by past craftsmen, gleams under sunlight streaming through restored clerestory windows. Even in silence, it commands awe.
The 29 chapels circling the nave and choir burst with color and detail previously dulled by dirt and neglect. Restorers revealed intricate murals, gilded stars on ceilings, and vibrant motifs originally created under Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s direction. Each chapel tells a unique story through its designs and themes.
The Chapel of Saint Marcel stands out as a masterpiece, its mural of the saint’s relics vividly restored. Visitors are captivated by its radiant colors, producing an effect likened to the Sistine Chapel in Rome — a visual firework display. In other chapels, traces of 19th-century painters’ color tests, hidden in nooks, provide glimpses into their artistic process.
The transept crossing, where the original spire collapsed, presented one of the restoration’s most formidable challenges. Above, soaring new vaults of Lutetian limestone replicate the medieval originals with remarkable precision.
Beneath the crossing, archaeologists uncovered a trove of history: fragments of Notre Dame’s medieval jubé, or choir screen, buried in the rubble. These intricately carved stones, some still bearing faint traces of polychrome paint, provide a rare glimpse into the cathedral’s vibrant 13th-century decorative history.
The newly restored roof draw gazes skyward, where medieval timber techniques have been faithfully recreated. Known as “the forest,” the intricate wooden framework remains hidden beneath the roofline, but glimpses into the rafters reveal the precision of both ancient and modern craftsmanship.
Outside, the spire rises 96 meters, faithfully replicating Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century design. Clad in oak and lead, it stands crowned by a gilded rooster containing relics of St. Denis, St. Genevieve, and a fragment of the Crown of Thorns, alongside a scroll listing contributors to the restoration.
The spire also honors the late General Jean-Louis Georgelin, who oversaw the project until his death in 2023. His name is now etched at its base.
There’s more than meets the eye in this restoration. Notre Dame now features unseen state-of-the-art fire prevention systems to guard against future disasters. Thermal cameras monitor the roof, and a fine misting system, designed to extinguish flames at their source, is seamlessly integrated into the structure. Fireproof barriers divide the roof into compartments, preventing flames from spreading.
Reinforced water supply lines can deliver 600 cubic meters (21,188 cubic feet) of water per hour, ensuring the cathedral is better protected than ever before.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised on Friday the more than 1,000 craftspeople who helped rebuild Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral in what he called “the project of the century”, five-and-a-half years after fire gutted the Gothic masterpiece.
The 12th-century cathedral, one of the French capital’s most beloved and visited monuments, will reopen its doors next week to tourists and to the Catholic faithful.
“Never before have we seen such a construction site. You all had your share in the project of the century,” Macron told a gathering that included carpenters, stonemasons, art restorers, firefighters and donors.
“The burning of Notre-Dame was a national wound and you were its remedy, (restoring it) through determination, hard work and commitment.”
The workers, who include members of the elite ’Compagnons du Devoir’, a centuries-old guild of artisans considered France’s finest, burst into joyful applause when Macron concluded his address with a final ’thank you’.
The reconstruction work restored the cathedral’s spire, its rib vaulting, flying buttresses, stained-glass windows and carved stone gargoyles to their past glory, with the white stone and gold decorations shining brighter than ever.
It is a far cry from the evening of April 15, 2019, when TV viewers in France and worldwide watched with horror as the cathedral’s roof and spire burst into flames and collapsed in a raging fire that also threatened the main bell towers, which narrowly avoided destruction.
On his visit to the site, Macron seemed deeply impressed as light poured into the nave through the renewed windows.
“This is overwhelming,” he said as he toured the cathedral with his wife Brigitte, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and other senior officials.
’EXCEPTIONAL’
“It was an exceptional renovation project,” stone-carver Samir Abbas, 38, told Reuters, relieved at having finished on schedule.
An opening ceremony – to which celebrities and heads of state have been invited – is planned for the evening of Dec. 7, followed by days of special Masses to celebrate the reopening and to thank those who helped save and rebuild the cathedral.
So much money poured in for the renovation from all over the world – more than 840 million euros ($882 million), according to Macron’s office – that there are still funds left over for further investment in the building.
The Catholic Church now expects the cathedral to welcome some 15 million visitors annually.
“We are very eager to welcome the whole world under the roof of our cathedral,” Paris’ Archbishop Laurent Ulrich said in a message on the cathedral website, expressing the Church’s gratitude to all those who helped save it.
“On the night of April 15, hundreds of thousands of people committed themselves to what then seemed an impossible bet: to restore the cathedral and give it back its splendour within the unprecedented deadline of five years.”
The guest-list for the reopening ceremony has not yet been published, but one source familiar with the planning said U.S. President Joe Biden’s wife Jill would come, while President-elect Donald Trump had not yet confirmed his attendance.
Parisians expressed excitement and relief at the prospect of the cathedral reopening.
“I’m so happy,” said 50-year-old architect Sebastien Truchot, who lives nearby. “Whether you believe in God or not, Notre-Dame is a universal symbol, and it’s amazing to have it back and to rediscover it.”
Albert Abid, a bookseller whose stall stands on the quay, was shocked to see it burn five years ago. “It’s a relief. Finally, Notre Dame is restored,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Agencies)
