First Look At The Restored Notre Dame Cathedral In Paris, France [WATCH]

Notre Dame Cathedral revealed its impressive new look to the world on Friday, following more than five years of meticulous reconstruction after a devastating fire in 2019.

The cathedral, which is considered one of France’s most iconic landmarks, showed off its breathtaking renovated interior with newly rebuilt soaring ceilings and stonework that erased the memory of the damage caused by the fire.

They made such an amazing job, it looks beautiful pic.twitter.com/AiFmFVbqwy

— Trad West (@trad_west_) November 29, 2024

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The images broadcast live of the visit by French President Emmanuel Macron showcased the remarkable progress made in the restoration, with the cathedral’s interior now looking like it might have in centuries past.

Its spacious, light-filled interior shone on a crisp and sunny winter day, bringing to life the vibrant stained glass windows that once captivated visitors and worshippers alike.

While the exterior of the cathedral is still a construction site, with scaffolding and cranes surrounding it, the newly renovated interior provided a glimpse into the grandiose and restored beauty of the structure.

Friday’s public unveiling was the first time the cathedral was seen in its full glory, just weeks before the public will be allowed back inside on Dec. 8.

The cathedral’s interior, once heavily damaged by the fire, now boasts restored ceilings, clean stonework, and renewed attention to detail.

The newly restored High Altar of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, miraculously saved from any damage from the fire. Built by King Louis XIII, who consecrated his person and the Kingdom of France to the most holy and glorious Blessed Virgin Mary. pic.twitter.com/WtJzD0Xe5K

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) November 29, 2024

The gaping holes that the fire left in the vaulted ceilings, along with the charred debris that had accumulated, have all been repaired.

New stone has been carefully pieced together to restore the cathedral’s interior, and delicate golden angels can now be seen perched atop the rebuilt ceilings, watching over the transept.

The cathedral’s limestone walls have been meticulously cleaned, giving them a fresh, cream-colored appearance, free of the grime that had built up over centuries.

Make Europe Catholic again!@elonmusk should be invited to the reopening ceremony of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Video: Rabatir Notre-Dame de Paris pic.twitter.com/R3BBCoKl4y

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) November 29, 2024

Before the fire on April 15, 2019, Notre Dame attracted millions of visitors and worshippers annually.

However, the fire forced the cathedral’s closure and transformed the site into a restricted zone, accessible only to artisans and architects tasked with the monumental reconstruction.

During Macron’s visit to the cathedral, he entered through the grand front doors and was visibly struck by the restoration.

Accompanying him were his wife, Brigitte, the Archbishop of Paris, and several others involved in the restoration process.

The restoration effort employed both new and traditional techniques.

Powerful vacuum cleaners were used to remove toxic dust left behind when the fire caused the cathedral’s lead roofs to melt.

A fine layer of latex was then applied to the surfaces and removed a few days later, taking with it dirt that had accumulated in the stone’s pores over time.

In total, 42,000 square meters of stonework were cleaned and decontaminated, an area equivalent to roughly six soccer fields.

Stonemason Adrien Willeme, who worked on the restoration, praised the work, saying, “It feels like it was built yesterday, like it’s just been born, even though Notre Dame is very old. Because it’s been so carefully restored and cleaned, it looks really extraordinary.”

Carpenters also worked by hand, just as their medieval counterparts would have, crafting the massive oak beams needed to rebuild the roof and spire that were destroyed in the fire.

These beams were hewn with hand axes, and the marks of the carpenters’ labor remain visible. In total, about 2,000 oak trees were felled to rebuild the dense framework, which is so intricate it has been dubbed “the forest.”

Friday’s visit marked the beginning of a series of events leading up to the official reopening of the cathedral.

During his visit, Macron addressed the workers who had spent years restoring the iconic monument, calling the project the “building site of the century.”

He thanked the workers for their efforts and noted that their work had become a symbol of hope for the nation.

“The shock of the reopening will, I want to believe, be as powerful as the one of the fire. But it will be a shock of hope,” Macron said. “The inferno of Notre Dame was a wound for the nation. And you were its remedy.”

Macron is set to return to the cathedral on Dec. 7 for another address and will attend the consecration of the new altar during a solemn Mass the following day.

The event will mark the official reopening of Notre Dame, signaling a major milestone in the cathedral’s restoration and a hopeful moment for the people of France.

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