Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is preparing to re-open its doors next week, five years after a fire destroyed much of the historic landmark. On December 8, the public will be able to visit the central church, following an opening ceremony that's scheduled to take place one day prior.
The Archbishop of Paris will lead the opening event, which will be attended by all of the officials, donors and representatives of the churches across Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, both of whom toured the cathedral this week, will also be in attendance at the ceremony.
The cathedral, which previously drew in more than 13 million visitors per year, has undergone several renovations in the years since the fire. The restoration team enlisted designers Guillaume Bardet, Ionna Vautrin and Sylvain Dubuisson to create the church's liturgical furniture, chairs and the reliquary for the Hoy Crown of Thorns. Notably, Bardet crafted the ciboria, a chalice, paten, monstrance, censer, basin, ewer, cruets, and a tray for the church, while Vincent Dupont-Rougier made the candle holders and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac created the liturgical vestments that will be worn upon opening.
The statue of the Virgin and Child miraculously survived the fire, and it was reinstalled inside the cathedral last month. The historical sculpture was held at the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois while the cathedral was restored.
More than 1,300 stones were used to rebuild the wall stones and vaults, while 8,000 pipes were removed and restored across the building. Notably, the cathedral also received three new bells and an all-new spire.
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