Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral, ravaged by fire in 2019, is on track to reopen on time on December 8, the head of the reconstruction said. The fire at the UNESCO-listed cathedral, which welcomed 12 million visitors a year, shocked the world on April 15, 2019.

Paris

The iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which suffered significant damage from a fire in 2019, is reportedly on schedule with its restoration efforts, with plans to reopen on December 8. This was confirmed by the individual heading the reconstruction process. The cathedral, listed by UNESCO and previously attracting approximately 12 million visitors annually, experienced a devastating fire on April 15, 2019, an event that caused global shock and drew widespread attention.



Iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris nearly restored

On the Paris skyline, Notre Dame is coming back to life. With the scaffolding coming down bit by bit, you can now see a new steeple. And inside, the church is rediscovering its colors. Its 24 chapels have the same vibrant color palette chosen during the 19th century. The painted murals have been cleaned and restored. Carpenters are completing the wooden stalls with their 22 carved oak panels depicting the life of the Virgin Mary. The carvings suffered water damage as firefighters tried to put out the flames in 2019. The man who oversees all of the work is the chief architect. Five years ago, he made the bet that the cathedral could reopen to the public in 2024. I never doubted it. I was one of the first crazy ones to say, yes, we can do it. On the other hand, I never imagined such a metamorphosis, such richness, harmony, beauty and meaning. The day after the fire, the church was strewn with debris and a gaping hole in the roof loomed above. Now, the walls, which were built in the 13th century, are light yellow. The marble floors, damaged by the falling roof, are little by little getting back their shine. Here, next October, the new bronze altar will be installed. You can see it in these animated images, which also show 1,500 light wooden chairs facing the altar, made to reflect the light of the restored stained glass. Outside, more than 50 meters above, statues have been repositioned on the gables. Masons are putting the last stones into place, and the roofers are working to place thousands of lead panels and framing to construct the new roof, almost 500 tons of metal. We are sprinting through a marathon. All the people who will be in Paris this summer won't be able to come inside the cathedral. So we are giving them a chance to see from the outside how much progress has been made and show them that Notre Dame will open a few months later. The roof is expected to be in place in time for the Paris Summer Games. Notre Dame is scheduled to reopen to the public on December 8th.

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