The Notre Dame Cathedral under Renovation in Paris, France, December 8, 2023 (foto Gao Jing | Xinhua)

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Gets A Re Opening Date After Five Years of Restoration

The French President Also Announced Plans to Invite Contemporary Artists to Design the Cathedral’s New Stained Glass Windows.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Notre Dame de Paris on December 8, and Announced that Restoration Plans were On Schedule for the Cathedral to Reopen to Worshippers and Tourists by the Same Date Next Year.

“Deadlines will Be Met. It is A Formidable Image of Hope and of A France that has Rebuilt Itself,” said Macron. The Partial Re Opening will Come More than Five Years after A Fire Destroyed the Cathedral’s Nave, Choir, Transept, and Iconic Spire.

French President Emmanuel Macron touches the Newly Rebuilt Spire of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, on December 8, 2023 (foto Christophe Ena | POOL | AFP)

Macron visited the Restored Spire, which is in Its Final Stages of Installation. In 2020, the French President Announced that the Spire should Be Rebuilt as an Exact Replica of the Previous One, an Eight Faced Structure Decorated with Gargoyles, Bay Arches, and Quatrefoils.

The Previous Spire was Created by Eugène Viollet le Duc in the 19th Century Following the Removal of the Damaged Original 13th Century Spire in the 18th Century. The New Spire was Completed in A Workshop in Lorraine and is Made of Around 1.000 Wooden Pieces, Requiring 600 Ton of Scaffolding to Install It.