Miraculous Recovery: Notre Dame Almost Ready for its Grand Reopening!

Five years after being destroyed by fire, Notre-Dame Cathedral has been restored to its former glory months before its scheduled reopening, according to visitors to the monument.

On April 15, 2019, the world was shocked by a fire at the UNESCO-listed cathedral, which used to welcome 12 million visitors annually.

However, visitors reported that the interior of Notre Dame is now the brightest it has been in living memory.

“It is wonderful to see these colors that had completely disappeared,” said Guillaume Normand, Notre Dame’s vice rector, as he inspected the fully restored chapel. “Stunning,” he told AFP.

The cathedral’s rector, Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, stated that when the public returns to Notre Dame in December, they will have an “unequaled perception of its dimension“. He stated that he felt “humbled” in the presence of “those who created, preserved, or saved it, and those who are now restoring it.”

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The reconstruction head said last month that ongoing work is on track to meet the December reopening deadline.

The monument already had a watershed moment in February when scaffolding around its spire was removed, and officials say it will be fully visible by the start of the Paris Summer Olympics in July.

The spire has been covered in lead, a material that has sparked heated debate due to its potential toxicity.

In December, the cathedral reclaimed its great cross and received a new golden rooster to replace one destroyed in the fire.

Initially, President Emmanuel Macron promised that the building would be fully restored by the time the Olympics opened, but the deadline was pushed back after restoration work hit several stumbling blocks.

Philippe Jost, president of the public body Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris, stated that all key restoration challenges had been met. The rebuilding of the nave, which used wood from around 1,000 specially selected trees from French forests, was one of the most difficult tasks, Jost explained.

The restoration involved approximately 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen, architects, and other trade professionals.

The cathedral’s organ, which was unharmed by the fire but covered in lead dust, has been thoroughly cleaned, though it will take six months of harmonization before its 8,000 pipes reach their full sound potential.

Following the cleanup, Jost stated that the natural light inside the cathedral is the brightest it has been in living memory.

The roofing over the nave, choir, and spire, as well as floor and furniture restorations, remain to be completed by the summer.

Beginning in the autumn, the cathedral’s grounds and entrance areas will be cleared to allow outside work to begin.

France has recently invited bids for the creation of modern stained glass for Notre Dame, with deliveries expected in 2026.