Paris' historic Notre Dame Cathedral has been revealed to the public in a newly renovated state, more than five years after a catastrophic fire threatened its legacy. Today, visitors and the global audience witnessed a transformation that brought back the grandeur of its original architecture, as described by MySA.
President Emmanuel Macron, who was shown walking through the massive front doors in a preview before the official reopening on December 8, visited the cathedral's newly restored interior, now free of the large gaps left by the fire. "It feels like it was built yesterday, like it’s just been born, even though Notre Dame is very old," stonemason Adrien Willeme shared his experience with MySA.
The interior walls now display a bright cream-colored limestone, cleansed of both the fire's soot and centuries of city grime, all made possible by advanced cleaning techniques. Toxic dust from the melted lead roofs was initially vacuumed up, and layers of latex were later applied and then removed to clean the stones meticulously. This process resulted in the cleaning and decontamination of about 42,000 square meters of stonework, according to MySA.
Acknowledging the hands that shaped the rebirth, Macron is set to return on December 7 to address the workers who reconstructed the cathedral's oak-beamed roof and spire. His administration labels the restoration a symbol of national unity and a representation of the French prowess in overcoming adversity. The vitality of the cathedral was echoed in the craftsmanship of the carpenters who, wielding axes by hand, left marks on the wooden framework known as "the forest," felling approximately 2,000 oak trees for the task, reported WHDH.
Macron’s visit also sets the stage for a series of celebratory events, including a Mass during which the new altar will be consecrated. The president expressed to the workers, "The inferno of Notre Dame was a wound for the nation. And you were its remedy," a statement obtained by MySA.
