'Voice' of Notre-Dame Cathedral ready to ring out again as bells return

RFI

15 September 2024 at 3:39 am·1-min read

Eight bells known as the "voice" of Notre-Dame Cathedral have returned to Paris, as the Gothic church prepares to reopen following a devastating fire in 2019.

The eight bronze bells were temporarily removed from the cathedral in July 2023 to allow ongoing restoration work to go on unhindered.

They returned to the capital on Thursday and were blessed in a special ceremony inside the cathedral.

Cathedral Rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas said they were “a sign that the cathedral will again resonate, and that its voice will be heard again. A sign of the call to prayer, and a sign of coming together.”

The bells belong in the cathedral's northern belfry and will be reinstalled in the coming weeks, Philippe Jost, the head of the public body overseeing the project, told French news agency AFP.

The cathedral reopens to the public on 8 December.

Five years after devastating fire, race to rebuild Notre-Dame gains pace

Symbol of rebirth

The bells were cleaned and renovated in the Normandy foundry where they were first cast in 2013.

They're named after figures from the cathedral’s history, and vary in size.

"Gabriel", the heaviest, weighs more than 4 tonnes while tiny tot "Jean-Marie" is a dainty 782 kilos.

"Marcel and Gabriel needed a bit more attention," he added, including freshening up their gold leaf.

(with newswires)

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Symbol of rebirth

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