President Macron inspects the results of the 700-million-euro restoration, including the 19th-century Gothic spire returned to its former glory.Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has offered the world a peek of its restored interior, five years after it was ravaged by a fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron inspected the renovation work on Friday, and live images of the landmark’s stained-glass windows, creamy stonework, timber-framed roof and soaring ceilings were broadcast live on television a week before its official reopening on December 7.
After the 2019 fire, which reduced much of the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece to charred debris and toppled the spire, Macron set the ambitious goal to rebuild it within five years and make it “even more beautiful” than before.
The restored nave of the cathedral, which is set to reopen on December 7, 2024 [Stephane de Sakutin/Pool via AP]
The ensuing 700-million-euro ($739m) restoration project was funded by donations from 150 countries and carried out by about 2,000 people participating in the painstaking work, including architects, scaffolders, roofers, bell makers, masons and organ builders.
The 19th-century Gothic spire has since been resurrected with an exact copy of the original.
Notre-Dame, which welcomed 12 million visitors in 2017, expects to receive an even higher figure of “14 to 15 million” after the reopening, according to church authorities.
French ministers had floated the idea of charging tourists an entrance fee to the site, but the Catholic Church said it was important to maintain the principle of free admission.
Unseen to visitors is a discreet system of pipes ready to release millions of water droplets in case of any future fires.
French Presi …
