French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday unveiled Notre Dame Cathedral, which suffered extensive damage in a catastrophic fire five years ago, to reporters ahead of the historic building's reopening to the public next month.
Macron, his wife Brigitte, and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich led a group of reporters and photographers inside the cathedral ahead of its public reopening on Dec.8, 2024, to view the reconstruction, which aimed to emulate the original structure while also incorporating modern design elements.
“It was a challenge many deemed impossible, yet one we will have met on,” the French president said in remarks to reporters. “This once-in-a-century project has been conducted in extraordinary conditions. It required a collaboration of France’s best experts and specialists.
“It’s been repaired, reinvented, and rebuilt all at once,” Macron said while inside. “It’s beautiful.”
In an essay released before his trip, Macron wrote: “This project was a human adventure of epic proportions in terms of building and prowess, involving the patient and dedicated work of a chain of talents working with one another passing the torch to those of the centuries to come."
The Associated Press states, "The meticulous restoration process involved cleaning over 42,000 square meters of stone using innovative latex peels to strip away centuries of grime without causing damage. Conservators uncovered mason marks etched by medieval builders — intimate traces of the artisans who shaped Notre Dame in the 12th and 13th centuries."
The Cathedral's organ, one of the largest in France, was undamaged by the fire but was "coated in lead dust," according to the AP. It was "painstakingly disassembled, cleaned, and retuned. Over two years, this work was performed with precision in the cathedral’s silent, cavernous interior, where harmonization was achieved entirely by ear."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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