REOPENING NOTRE DAME. Five years after the fire, the cathedral was revealed during the President of the Republic’s last site visit.
One week before the reopening to the public of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on the weekend of December 7 and 8, 2024, the reconstructed cathedral is revealed for the first time in images since the fire of 2019. Emmanuel Macron has visited Friday November 29 during its final visit to the site before its reopening. The images of his visit reveal a sublime cathedral of “immaculate whiteness” after a reconstruction which cost some 700 million euros, financed exclusively by donations.
The work made it possible to clean up the dirt accumulated over decades. “Even more beautiful than before, in the rediscovered brilliance of the blondness of the stones and the color of the chapels,” wrote the president in a press release. This “project of the century” constituted a “challenge that many considered insane and that we will meet this December 7,” he added.
What is the reopening program for Notre-Dame de Paris?
Saturday, December 7 in the morning, the President of the Republic will give a speech in front of the cathedral, this time in the presence of a large number of foreign leaders and religious authorities, a moment which will be broadcast live in the morning on several French and international channels. Then, the Archbishop of Paris Monsignor Laurent Ulrich will knock the doors of the cathedral three times with his crosier, accompanied by the choir of Notre-Dame who will sing Psalm 121 from inside. On the third knock, the doors will open, officially marking the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris. A religious ceremony will follow which will awaken the great organ and end with a solemn Te Deum. At 9 p.m., a show organized and broadcast by France Télévisions will illuminate the cathedral square in the presence of international artists, concluded by a sound and light show projected on the restored facade of the cathedral.
Sunday December 8, the day the cathedral reopens to the public, an inaugural mass will be given by the Archbishop of Paris in the presence of 170 bishops and representatives of the 106 parishes of the diocese of Paris. At midday a charity buffet will be organized for the most deprived people and members of charitable organizations. The first visitors will have the opportunity to enter from 5:30 p.m. The public will be able to discover the redeveloped square of the cathedral as well as a tour highlighting the restored works. A mass open to the public will be given at 6:30 p.m., accommodating 10,000 people. The cathedral will close its doors at 10 p.m.
The following week, from 9 to December 15, two masses per day will be given at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and the public will be able to go to the cathedral only from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. On Tuesday, December 10 in the morning, the consecration of the new baptistery will take place, while Friday, December 13 will mark the return of the Holy Crown of Thorns at 4:30 p.m. The following week, Tuesday December 17 and Wednesday December 18, the Magnificat concerts by Johann Sebastian Bach will take place.
Do you have to pay to go to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris?
Entrance will remain free: “We maintain unchanged our position which is that, and repeatedly reiterated, of the Church (…) in France on the necessary free access to churches and cathedrals. And recalled that this principle does not does not contradict the concern to safeguard religious heritage”, Mgr Ulrich announced. SOnly access to the Treasury – liturgical and historical objects – will require a paid ticket.
A time slot reservation application has been set up, called “Visit Companion”, the system can only accommodate a maximum of 3,000 visitors simultaneously. The application will soon be available for free download on the Android and Apple stores. Reservations will only be open the day before, the day before or the same day. Individual reservations will be possible upon reopening, but for groups it will be for Pentecost 2025. 5 tour routes adapted to different visitors will be offered, including a route for pilgrims and one for families. They will be available in three languages: French, English and Spanish.
What are the opening hours of Notre-Dame de Paris?
The first week of opening, the cathedral will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday, then from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday December 14 and Sunday December 15. “On December 16, ordinary life will resume,” however, clarified the rector of the cathedral, Mgr Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, during a press conference in Paris, with opening hours from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Is Notre-Dame Cathedral rebuilt identically?
For a time, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame and in particular its spire, caused debate, between those in favor of modernization and those who wanted its identical reconstruction. Not far from a millennium after the start of construction of the famous cathedral, the general principle was to rebuild identically, while offering “a new lease of life” to the building.
After considering a more contemporary version, this is in fact the decision that President Macron took in the summer of 2020, after consultation with the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA), bringing together elected officials, experts and site architects. Among the sustainable materials that were used, we find lead for the roof and oak wood for the frame. “We have chosen continuity. We want to give back to the French, to the whole world, the cathedral that they love,” explained Jean-Louis Georgelin, appointed head of the establishment responsible for reconstruction, on this point.
What date is set for the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris?
The reopening of Notre-Dame is scheduled for Sunday December 8, 2024. “In 2024, you will see in the sky of Paris shining the arrow which will no longer be the arrow of Viollet-Le-Duc but of Philippe Villeneuve [l’architecte en charge de la reconstruction – NDMLR] ” declared General Jean-Louis Georgelin at the start of the project. But the reopening of the cathedral does not mean an end to the work. The restoration project of the cathedral will continue for another 4-5 years.