Macron takes world on first tour inside Paris’s restored Notre-Dame cathedral

NEWS WIRES

29 November 2024 at 5:34 am·1-min read

Five years after a fire devastated the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, the world got a first glimpse inside the historic French landmark as President Emmanuel Macron conducted a tour of the restored monument Friday. Notre-Dame, which lost its famed spire in the flames, is set to reopen on December 7.

France on Friday showed off to the world the gleaming restored interior of Notre Dame cathedral, just over a week before the 850-year-old medieval edifice reopens following painstaking restoration after the devastating 2019 fire.

President Emmanuel Macron conducted an inspection of the restoration, broadcast live on television, saying workers had done the "impossible" by healing a "national wound" after the fire on April 19, 2019.

While every effort has been made to remain faithful to the original look of the cathedral, an international team of designers and architects have created a luminous space that has an immediate impact on the visitor.

The floor shimmers and the freshly-cleaned walls dazzle, while a subtle combination of natural and artificial light creates a near theatrical impression.

"You have achieved what was thought impossible," Macron told restoration workers and officials who packed Notre Dame, after he toured the cathedral.

"The blaze at Notre Dame was a national wound, and you have been its remedy through will, through work, through commitment," he said, adding the cathedral's re-opening will be a "shock of hope".

World leaders are expected to attend but the guest list has yet to be revealed.

(AFP)

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