Thursday, December 12, 2024

Macron visits newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

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Emmanuel Macron has gone on a televised tour around the newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, marking the church’s imminent reopening only five years after it was partially destroyed by fire.

Alongside his wife, Brigitte, and the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, the French president will be shown around the rebuilt medieval cathedral by Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of France’s national monuments, and give a speech in front of about 1,300 craftspeople thanking those who contributed to the restoration effort.

Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron during their visit to Notre Dame in Paris on Friday. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/Reuters

On 15 April 2019, TV viewers across the globe looked on as flames tore through the building, destroying most of the wood and metal roof and the spire. The precise cause of the blaze was never established, but investigators believed it to be accidental, started by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system.

Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron inspect the renovation work at Notre Dame. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/Reuters

In the immediate wake of the fire, Macron promised the church would be restored “more beautiful than ever” within five years – a promise that was kept thanks to millions in donations and hundreds of specialist artisans using age-old skills. The total cost of the restoration is expected to be around €700m (£582m).

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral after the fire in April 2019. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/AP

Nous y sommes,” (here we are), the French president said in a post on X on Friday morning, alongside a video clip that showcased the rebuilt cathedral to the strains of Edith Piaf’s Notre Dame de Paris.

The cathedral officially reopens to the public on 7 December.

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Notre Dame in January 2016, before the fire. About 12 million people visited the cathedral before and numbers are expected to soar. Photograph: Frank Nowikowski/Alamy

Before the fire, about 12 million people visited Notre Dame every year, but visitor numbers are expected to soar after the reopening. While entry to the cathedral will remain free, visitors will need to book a dedicated time slot through an online ticketing system that will launch in early December.

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