The first mass was held at the newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral on Sunday, as Christians celebrated the return of the French capital’s most famous place of worship following a historic re-opening ceremony.
The beloved Paris monument almost burned down in 2019, but during a painstaking five-year restoration it has been completely renovated inside and equipped with a new roof and spire.
The inauguration ceremony was led by Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich, with 150 bishops and more than 100 priests from the capital in attendance, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Archbishop led the prayers and consecrated a new altar that replaced the old altar that was destroyed five years earlier.
“Whether you are here in person in the cathedral or in front of a screen, perhaps even under the rain, I welcome you with profound emotion,” Ulrich told the small crowd drenched in rain outside to watch the events on the public screens. Referring to told the congregation. ,
Pointing to the ongoing political turmoil in France, he said he also “prays for our country which is looking to the future with concern.”
A second mass event will be open to the public at 6:30 pm (1730 GMT), with about 2,500 people expected to attend who secured free tickets this week.
The cathedral will fully open to visitors on 16 December via an online reservation system.
‘For Jesus’
During a re-inauguration service on Saturday, attended by world leaders including US President-elect Donald Trump, Macron expressed “the gratitude of the French nation” for the restoration work from 2019.
He said, “We have rediscovered what great nations can do – achieve the impossible.”
Macron is under intense political pressure after calling snap elections in June, which led to a hung parliament, and the main parties are now struggling to form a stable government.
One of the most emotional moments on Saturday came when firefighters walked through the congregation in their protective gear and amid applause the word “Merci” (“Thank you”) was displayed on the Gothic masterpiece’s intricate facade and famous belfry.
The architectural wonder was in danger of collapsing during the April 2019 fire and was only saved by firefighters pumping huge amounts of water from the nearby River Seine onto the flames.
Groups of worshipers hid under umbrellas beyond the tight security perimeter set up outside Notre Dame on Sunday.
“Beyond the reconstruction work, it is beautiful because it shows that the Church still has a role, discreet and small, but in France it still has a role to play,” Jacques, a 21-year-old engineering student, told AFP.
Monique Kashale, 75, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said she was “very cold but for Jesus Christ I can bear it, for the Virgin Mary it is bearable.”
trump in paris
Saturday’s re-inauguration service began with Archbishop Ulrich, dressed in a brightly colored new robe designed by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, knocking three times on the cathedral’s doors.
With Trump seated in the front row next to Macron as the guest of honor, invitees were surprised to see freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the overhaul.
The reconstruction effort cost approximately 700 million euros ($750 million), financed by donations, and the five-year reopening deadline was met despite predictions it could take decades.
Part of the base of the cathedral’s lead roof still needs to be finished and the statues of the apostles and saints, removed before the fire to allow their restoration, only to be reinstalled in the first half of 2025. Will go.
The exact cause of the 2019 fire has never been identified, despite a forensic investigation by prosecutors who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely cause.
According to church officials, Notre Dame welcomed about 12 million visitors a year before the fire, but an even higher figure of “14 to 15 million” is expected after the reopening.
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