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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.
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.
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).
“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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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.
