It has taken over five years, but now the fire-ravaged Paris cathedral Notre Dame is opening its doors again. At Saturday’s grand ceremony, several of the world’s leaders are present – including the president-elect of the United States.
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LIVE: Now Notre Dame reopens – five years after the fire
On the evening of April 15, 2019, smoke suddenly rose from Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris. From rooftops, shocked Parisians watched as flames shot from the 850-year-old landmark.
Even before the fire was fully extinguished, President Emmanuel Macron promised to restore Notre Dame to its former glory – even “bigger and more beautiful” than before.
Now, over five years later, the renovation is complete. On Saturday, a ceremony will be held with well-known guests, and on Sunday, a first Mass open to the public will be held. All tickets for the fair were sold at the end of Tuesday in a few hours, according to the AFP news agency.
Many world leaders on site
Ahead of Saturday’s events, a large area around the cathedral has been cordoned off for security reasons, writes the newspaper Le Monde.
The ceremony is attended by a number of heads of state and government, diplomats and religious leaders. US President-elect Donald Trump landed in the French capital on Saturday morning and wrote earlier this week “It will be a very special day for everyone”, on his platform Truth Social this week.
The Paris visit is his first visit abroad since he was elected president. Before the opening ceremony, Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is also coming to Paris and will also have a meeting with his French colleague.
Other invitees include Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Britain’s Prince William, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Pope Francis was invited, but, to the surprise of many, did not attend.
Bad weather
During the ceremony, rain and strong winds are expected, and on Friday the program was changed. The entire ceremony will now be held indoors, including the speech Macron had planned to give in front of the cathedral.
Around 250 companies and hundreds of experts have worked to restore Notre Dame. The restoration has cost a total of almost 700 million euros, corresponding to roughly eight billion Swedish kronor.