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France unveiled the newly restored interior of Notre Dame Cathedral on Friday, offering a glimpse into the iconic landmark’s transformation five years after a devastating fire destroyed its spire and ravaged its interior.
President Emmanuel Macron inspected the 850-year-old cathedral during a televised visit, just days ahead of its reopening on December 7.
The cathedral will reopen to visitors and worshippers over the December 7-8 weekend, marking the culmination of a challenging restoration project aimed at restoring the Parisian masterpiece to its former glory following the April 15, 2019, fire.
The restoration involved 250 companies and hundreds of skilled experts, with a workforce of 2,000 contributing to the effort. Around 1,300 of them attended Friday’s event, which honored their contributions to the €700 million ($750 million) restoration, funded by €846 million in donations from 150 countries in an extraordinary show of global solidarity.
Key highlights of the restoration include the recreation of the 19th-century Gothic spire as an exact replica of the original, the revitalization of the stained-glass windows, the cleaning of fire-damaged walls, and the refurbishment of the grand organ, ready to fill the cathedral with music once more.
Notre Dame, which welcomed 12 million visitors in 2017, is projected to attract 14-15 million annually after the reopening, according to church officials.
