Five years after the fire that destroyed this world cultural heritage monument, the Our Lady of Paris opened its gates to the public again on Saturday (07.12.2024). Dozens of heads of state and government attended the ceremony. Historic moments in the French capital with the shutters of the iconic 860-year-old cathedral.
For the first time since April 25, 2019, the bells rang again on Saturday at Notre-Dame de Paris in the presence of 40 leaders and heads of state, first of course being the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
In the fire five and a half years ago, Notre-Dame was badly damaged, its spire and roof were destroyed and this masterpiece of Gothic art almost completely collapsed.
The inauguration of December 7 took place at a particularly critical time for France, which is facing a major economic and political crisis.
Attention turned to the opening ceremony, as with the opening of the doors of Notre Dame de Paris, France entered the rhythm of the festivities for the restoration of Notre Dame, at the same time as the arrival of the official guests.
NOW – Doors of the Notre Dame in Paris are open again.pic.twitter.com/kn6ByvsXJq
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 7, 2024
Notre Dame’s famous Grand Organ with its 8,000 pipes, sounds out once again throughout the cathedral. pic.twitter.com/LRTNilHq3W
— Colm Flynn (@colmflynnire) December 7, 2024
The ceremony on October 7, 2024 was attended by 40 heads of state and government, as well as the recently elected president of the USA, Donald Trump.
Also invited were Jill Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William, Elon Musk, and the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Thibault Camus/Pool via REUTERS
Macron: “Gratitude of the French nation”
The “gratitude of the French nation” for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris was expressed on Saturday night by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in his speech during the reopening ceremony of the cathedral.
“We rediscovered what great nations can do: to realize the impossible”, greeted the leader of France inside the cathedral and added:
“We chose recovery, will, the path of hope. And to make this possible, an unprecedented brotherhood”, he said.
“We should treasure this lesson of fragility, humility and will and never forget how much everyone counts and how much the greatness of this cathedral is an integral part of everyone’s work,” Emmanuel Macron said.
“I stand before you to express the gratitude of the French nation, our gratitude to all those who saved, helped and rebuilt the cathedral,” he stressed.
“Tonight we can share joy and pride together. Long live Notre Dame, Long live Democracy, Long live France,” the French President concluded his speech.
A little earlier, Emmanuel Macron had warmly welcomed heads of state and government, crowned and prominent personalities in front of the cathedral.
The tripartite Trump-Macron-Zelensky
The festivities began with the screening of the film “Notre Dame Reborn”, which describes exactly how the restoration of the temple took place.
The firemen who had taken part in extinguishing the fire and craftsmen entered the church and were applauded. While inside the church, the message “Merci” (thank you) appeared on the facade of Notre Dame in several languages.
LIVE – 160 firefighters and builders are now parading. The cathedral #NotreDame lights up to pay homage to them.#franceinfo pic.twitter.com/KJsUiGNd2L
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) December 7, 2024
This was followed by a musical performance with violin and cello by the brothers Renaud and Gautier Capucon.
On the sidelines of the events and before the inauguration ceremony, an informal tripartite meeting between Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyi took place at the Elysee, on the developments in the Ukraine-Russia war.
“We have good relations and we have achieved a lot, we respect and love the French. I’m honored to be here,” said Donald Trump. “And it sure seems like people are going a little crazy right now. And we will talk about it,” he added.
Welcome @realDonaldTrump.
Proud of the friendship between the United States of America and France. We have so many challenges to face together. pic.twitter.com/Nv4HbpLizT
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 7, 2024
The opening of Notre Dame is believed to mark the beginning of a new era for the iconic monument of the French capital.
The 860-year-old medieval cathedral, a symbol of both France and Paris, has been painstakingly restored, with a new spire and roof, having returned to its former glory, while its white and gold decorations sparkle today more than ever.
The magnificently restored interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. pic.twitter.com/aGrXcWWIFn
— Architecture & Tradition (@archi_tradition) December 5, 2024
Three knocks on the doors of “Notre Dame de Paris” by the Archbishop of Paris marked the beginning of the ceremony, while a moving atmosphere was provided by the mixed children’s choir singing psalms in French.
The Catholic Church now expects the cathedral to welcome around 15 million visitors a year.
Katerina Sakellaropoulou was present
Following the invitation of Emmanuel Macron, Katerina Sakellaropoulou also attended the reopening ceremony of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Afterwards, the President of the Hellenic Republic attended the dinner hosted by her French counterpart and his wife, Brigitte Macron, in honor of the heads of state and government.
The request of Pope Francis
Pope Francis has urged a “generous and free reception of the huge crowd” of visitors expected at Notre Dame in a message to Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich on the cathedral’s reopening.
“I know, Your Excellency, that the doors will be wide open for them,” the pontiff added, as France’s culture minister sparked debate by proposing to introduce a ticket to the renovated cathedral.
“May the rebirth of this admirable church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France,” added the head of the Roman Catholic Church, in the text read at Notre-Dame de Paris.
The restored Notre Dame may have reopened its doors, but France is in a state of political chaos following the fall of the Barnier government.
Even if the most optimistic scenario holds true and the chaos only lasts a few weeks, right now France and Germany, Europe’s two biggest powers, are reeling while the far right lingers.
The article Notre-Dame de Paris was reborn from its ashes: The evening vigil in the presence of dozens of leaders from around the world was published on NewsIT .