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Emmanuel Macron went on a televised tour of the recently renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, marking the church’s imminent reopening just five years after it was partially destroyed by fire.
Together with his wife Brigitte and the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, the French president will be shown around the reconstructed medieval cathedral by Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of France’s national monuments, and will give a speech to around 1,300 artisans, thanking those who contributed to the restoration .
On April 15, 2019 television viewers around the world watched when flames tore through the buildingdestroying most of the wood and metal roof and tower. The exact cause of the fire was never determined, but investigators believed it was accidental, caused by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Macron promised the church would be rebuilt “more beautiful than ever” within five years, a promise that was kept thanks to millions in donations and hundreds of specialist craftsmen using centuries-old skills. The total cost of the restoration is expected to be around €700m (£582m).
“Nous y sommes” (here we go), the French president said in a post on X on Friday morning, along with a video that showed the reconstructed cathedral to the sounds of Edith Piaf Notre Dame de Paris.
The cathedral officially reopens to the public on December 7.
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Before the fire, about 12 million people visited Notre Dame each year, but the number of visitors is expected to jump after the reopening. Although entry to the cathedral will remain free, visitors will need to book a special time slot through an online ticketing system that will launch in early December.
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