Paris:
The Archbishop of Paris reopened Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday by symbolically knocking on the doors and entering the 12th-century monument, which has been restored after a devastating fire in 2019.
Wearing new designer robes and carrying a staff carved from one of the roof beams that survived the inferno, Laurent Ulrich joined hundreds of VIPs in the Gothic masterpiece for a two-hour ceremony.
Ulrich ordered the cathedral to “open your doors” and he entered the beautifully restored building.
Newly elected US President Donald Trump sat in the front row as guest of honor alongside French President Emmanuel Macron as guests marveled at the freshly cleaned walls, new furnishings and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the cathedral’s overhaul.
Outside, small crowds of Parisians and tourists braved wet weather and high winds to witness the renaissance of a beloved monument that was almost completely destroyed by the inferno that toppled its roof and spire.
“I think it’s really beautiful, especially now that the spire has been restored,” Marie Jean, a 27-year-old dentist from southwestern France, told AFP outside.
The reconstruction effort has cost about 700 million euros ($750 million), funded by donations, with reopening achieved within a five-year deadline set by Macron, despite predictions that it could take decades.
Workers had to overcome problems with lead pollution, the Covid-19 epidemic and the army general overseeing the project, who died while hiking in the Pyrenees last year.
It is “a cathedral like we have never seen before,” Philippe Jost, who took over as project manager last year, told radio Franceinfo, adding that he was proud “the whole world” was a “great collective success and a source of inspiration”. proud for all France”.
Saturday’s service will include prayer, organ music and hymns from the cathedral’s choir.
A planned public concert in front of the cathedral featuring Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang and possibly American singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams had to be pre-recorded on Friday evening due to stormy weather.
– ‘Do the impossible’ –
Macron calls the renaissance of Notre Dame so soon after the fire an example of French creativity and resilience and comes at a difficult time for the country.
The sense of national achievement in restoring a symbol of Paris has been undermined by the political turmoil that has left France without a real government since Prime Minister Michel Barnier lost a confidence vote last week.
Macron hopes the reopening can provide a fleeting sense of national pride and unity – as the Paris Olympics did in July and August.
The scale of the immense security operation is also reminiscent of the Olympic Games, during which approximately 6,000 police and gendarmes were mobilized.
The reopening “is proof that we know how to do great things, we know how to do the impossible,” Macron said in a televised address to the country on Thursday.
He will address the congregation on Saturday.
Trump show?
Macron has pulled off a major coup by recruiting new US President Donald Trump for his first foreign trip since his re-election.
Another 40 heads of state and government are also present, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who received a round of applause as he entered Notre Dame, and the British heir to the throne, Prince William.
Macron organized three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the presidential palace shortly before the ceremony, during which future US military support for Ukraine’s war efforts against the Russian invasion was expected to have been discussed.
Trump has vowed to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine when he takes office, raising fears in Kiev that he will force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia, which Zelensky opposes.
“It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we’ll talk about that,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to sit down for talks with Macron.
A surprising absentee on Saturday was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.
He sent a message addressed to the French people which will be read.
The exact cause of the 2019 fire has never been determined, despite forensic investigations by prosecutors, who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely reason.
On Sunday, the first Mass with 170 bishops and more than 100 Parisian priests will take place at 10:30 am (09:30 GMT), followed by a second service in the evening at 6:30 pm, which will be open to the public.
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