Three months before the official reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, eight completely renovated bells have arrived in the French capital. The return of these eight bells from the north tower marks an important step in the progress of the colossal reconstruction project of the cathedral, partly devoured by flames in April 2019.
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The eight bells arrived in the middle of the day on a truck. They all bear a name, that of a personality who has left his mark on the life of the diocese and the church. Gabriel is the most imposing and the heaviest with a weight of more than four tons, Jean-Marie the smallest with 800 kg.
To allow the restoration of the north tower, reached by the flames of the giant fire of 2019the eight bells were removed in July 2023. They have since been cleaned of lead dust, revised and restored in Normandy in a foundry.
Installed in the next two to three weeks
Within the cathedral construction site, they were blessed by Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, the cathedral’s rector-archpriest.
Thanks to a winch, they will now be hoisted in the next two to three weeks into the belfry, around fifty metres above the Parisian pavement.
The carillon will resume service on December 7 for the official reopening after five years of a colossal project that mobilized 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen.
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