As Notre-Dame emerges from the fire’s rubble, first responders and restorers receive applause

When the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris reopened on Saturday, the word “Merci” was projected onto the front of the structure as a token of gratitude for saving it from collapse five years ago due to a terrible fire.

The ritual began with the ringing of the cathedral’s bells and the symbolic reopening of Notre-Dame when Laurent Ulrich, the Archbishop of Paris, hit the doors three times with his crozier. A standing ovation was given to the first responders who assisted in preserving the Gothic masterpiece and to some of the people who later restored it.

President Emmanuel Macron stated that France had “achieved the impossible” with the speedy reconstruction. “I stand before you to express the gratitude of the French nation, our gratitude to all those who saved, helped, and rebuilt the cathedral,” he said.

“Tonight, we can celebrate and be proud together. Let France, the Republic, and Notre-Dame de Paris all live on.

The bells of the cathedral had rung minutes earlier as Macron greeted visitors, including Donald Trump, the next president of the United States.

With a rebuilt spire and rib vaulting, flying buttresses, carved stone gargoyles, and gold and white stone ornamentation flashing brightly once more, Notre-Dame has undergone a painstaking restoration.

On the evening of April 15, 2019, five years ago, shocked Parisians hurried to the site, and TV watchers across the world watched in horror as the roof collapsed, the spire fell, and the cathedral burned through fire.

Macron pulled off a coup by arranging for Trump to attend the opening ceremony and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Elysee Palace before to the Notre-Dame event. Macron is also dealing with a domestic political crisis following the removal of his prime minister by parliament.

Trump walked to the front of the church and shook hands with leaders of state and government, including Prince William of Britain. In the front row, he was seated close to Macron and Macron’s wife, Brigitte. Brigitte Macron sat opposite U.S. President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden.

When Zelenskiy entered the church earlier on Saturday, the crowd rose and cheered.

The richest man in France, Bernard Arnault, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, former French Presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, a key adviser in Trump’s transition team, were all there.

As the event came to a close, the national hymn of France, Marseillaise, played. Following the ceremony, Macron will welcome Trump and other leaders of state and government for a meal in the presidential Elysee Palace.

Thousands of people labored to restore

For five years, thousands of professionals—from stonemasons and carpenters to stained glass window artists—worked nonstop, employing traditional techniques to replace, repair, or restore anything that had been damaged or destroyed.

“Notre-Dame is not just a French or Parisian landmark. Historian Damien Berne noted, “It’s also a universal monument.”

“It’s a landmark, an emblem, a point of reference that reassures in a globalized world where everything evolves permanently,” Berne, who is on the restoration’s scientific committee, stated.

After the first stone was put in 1163, the cathedral’s construction proceeded for the most of the next century, with significant extensions and restorations occurring in the 17th and 18th centuries.

When Victor Hugo put his 1831 book “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” in the cathedral, he contributed to its becoming a symbol of Paris and France. The protagonist, Quasimodo, has appeared in musicals, Disney animated films, and Hollywood motion pictures.
The reopening especially excited several Parisians.

“For me, what does Notre-Dame mean? This. Care worker Pascal Tordeux pointed to a tattoo of the cathedral on his arm and remarked, “Look, it’s here.” “It means everything.”

“Every day, I saw the construction from my window as the spire was taken down and then rebuilt. I witnessed it burn and then rise once more. Tordeux, who lives across the river from Notre-Dame, said, “I followed it day by day.”

Potential tourists may now reserve a free ticket online by opening a new tab on the Cathedral’s website. However, a notice on the website stated that all tickets were sold out on Saturday, the first day reservations for the upcoming days could be made.

Next year, group visits will be permitted starting on February 1 for religious groups and on June 9 for visitors accompanied by guides. The cathedral is expected to get 15 million visitors annually, according to the Catholic Church.

According to Macron’s administration, over 840 million euros ($880 million) in donations came from all across the world for the refurbishment, leaving money for additional building improvements.

Pope Francis described the day as one of “joy, celebration and praise” in a statement read aloud at the event.

The pope, who was not present at the event, expressed his belief that everyone will continue to be admitted free of charge while weighing in on the contentious issue of whether or not tourists should pay to enter the cathedral, a proposal that some French lawmakers have advocated in order to aid with the restoration of other churches.

On Sunday, Archbishop Ulrich will offer a Mass, the first of eight Masses dedicated to the reopening, with a focus on expressing gratitude to the firemen who saved it and the benefactors who funded the restorations. The public will be able to attend some of the Masses, such as the one on December 8 at 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT).