Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral Set To Reopen In December 2024

PARIS, France — French officials said on Monday that the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is going fast enough that it will be ready for visitors and believers by the end of 2024, less than six years after a fire destroyed the cathedral’s roof.

After collapsing in the fire, the cathedral’s iconic spire will begin rising again this year as a powerful symbol of its revival, according to the army general in charge of the massive project, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin.

‘The return of the spire in Paris’ sky will symbolize that we are winning the battle of Notre Dame,’ he told the Associated Press.

After more than two years of preparation, craftsmen were finally able to begin rebuilding the monument last year.

The authorities have decided to restore the Gothic masterpiece from the 12th century to its former glory. That involves re-creating the 315-foot-tall (93-meter) spire that was added in the 19th century by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.

On Tuesday, however, visitors can check out an exhibit called “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site,” which will be housed in an underground facility in front of the cathedral. It’s freely available and describes the ongoing work being done there along with the knowledge and skills of the staff. Artifacts and relics from the cathedral’s fire are also on display.

Visitors can check out an exhibit called “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site,

General Georgelin has stated that the cathedral will reopen in December 2024, the goal set by President Emmanuel Macron shortly after the fire, but this will be too late for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

My responsibility is to have this cathedral ready for its 2024 dedication. And we’ll get it done,” the general vowed. “We are working hard toward that goal and making progress.”

As a result, “the archbishop of the capital will be able again to celebrate the Catholic liturgy in his cathedral,” The structure will “also be open for tourists to visit,” he added.

But Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak told the Associated Press that this doesn’t mean the work will be fully done by then. It’s important to note that “some renovation work will still be going on in 2025,” she emphasized.

Visitors, including those in town for the Olympics, can “live what could be this experience of visiting Notre Dame in a brand new way” thanks to a new exhibition near the cathedral. In addition to the free tour, paying guests can experience a virtual reality show that delves deep into the cathedral’s past. “That will also help Paris’s tourism,” she continued.

It will be “faithful to the original architecture.”

About a thousand people, General Georgelin said, are working on restoring Notre Dame every day in the nation’s capital and elsewhere.

He emphasized the difficulty of sticking to their meticulously laid plans daily. The framework, the paintings, the stones, the vault, the organ, the stained glass, and so on are just some of the many tasks we must complete.

It will be “faithful to the original architecture,” said Philippe Jost, head of the government agency in charge of the restoration, because “we are sticking to the vanished shapes of the cathedral” and “we are also sticking to the materials and construction methods” of the Middle Ages.

According to Jost, “we do stone vaults that we rebuild as they were built in the Middle Ages,” The roof framework will also be made from oak like it originally was.

SOURCE – (AP)