The world gets a first look inside a resplendent new Notre-Dame on Friday, as France’s President Emmanuel Macron conducts a televised tour to mark the cathedral’s imminent re-opening.
Five-and-a-half years after the devastating fire of 2019, Paris’s Gothic jewel has been rescued, renovated and refurbished – offering visitors what promises to be a breathtaking visual treat.
The president – accompanied by his wife Brigitte and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich – are kicking off a programme of ceremonies that culminates with an official “entry” into the cathedral on 7 December and the first Catholic Mass the next day.
After being shown highlights of the building’s €700m (£582m) renovation – including the massive roof timbers that replace the medieval frame consumed in the fire – he will give a speech of thanks to around 1,300 craftsmen and women gathered in the nave.
Notre-Dame’s re-vamped interior has been kept a closely-guarded secret – with only a few images released over the years marking the progress of the renovation work.
But people who have been inside recently say the experience is awe-inspiring, the cathedral lifted by a new clarity and brightness that mark a sharp contrast with the pervading gloom of before.
