Sarah Kuta

Daily Correspondent

Five years ago, the world watched in horror as smoke billowed from the top of France’s famed Notre-Dame Cathedral. Firefighters rushed to the historic church on the evening of April 15, 2019 and worked through the night to battle the blaze. They were able to save most of the structure, but Notre-Dame’s wooden roof and iconic spire collapsed.

Now, after extensive restoration and reconstruction work, Notre-Dame is finally ready to reopen its doors.

The church will officially open to the public on December 8. But in the meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron has provided a sneak peak of the newly rebuilt cathedral.

On November 29, Macron took a televised walking tour of Notre-Dame led by Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of France’s national monuments, per the New York Times’ Aurelien Breeden. Photojournalists were also allowed on the tour, and their images reveal the cathedral’s dazzling new interior.

Speaking to a group of more than 1,000 craftsmen who worked on the project, Macron expressed his gratitude and appreciation for their painstaking efforts, reports Reuters’ Elizabeth Pineau and Michaela Cabrera. He also thanked the firefighters who saved the burning structure, as well as donors who helped raise more than $800 million to fund the restoration.

Nave of Notre-Dame Cathedral
Latex cleaning paste helped remove years of dust and grime from the limestone walls and pillars. Stephane de Sakutin / AFP via Getty Images

“The blaze at Notre-Dame was a national wound, and you were the remedy,” he said, as reported by the Guardian’s Philip Oltermann.

He added: “The shock of the reopening will be as great as that of the fire, but it will be a shock of hope.”

The exterior remains a work in progress, with cranes and scaffolding surrounding the landmark in the French capital’s Fourth Arrondissement. But inside, the cathedral is bright and clean, without any trace of the devastating disaster that left it in ruins.

Artwork hanging on the wall inside Notre-Dame Cathedral
Many artworks survived the 2019 fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, though others were damaged or destroyed in the blaze. Stepphane De Sakutin / Pool / AFP via Getty Images

After the fire, crews removed the piles of charred debris that had fallen into the nave and near the altar. Next, they used power vacuum cleaners to remove toxic lead dust from the melted roof.

They then sprayed a thin layer of latex cleaning paste on the interior walls and pillars. They peeled off the latex several days later, which removed decades of accumulated dust and dirt. They also used cleaning gels to brighten up painted walls.

Man wearing black standing in cathedral next to woman with blonde hair
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, admired the renovated interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris during a televised tour in November 29. Christophe Petit Tesson / Pool / AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, carpenters hewed oak beams by hand to rebuild the roof and spire, just like their medieval predecessors did. Hundreds of centuries-old oak trees were felled for the rebuilding project.

Artisans and craftsmen also fixed holes in the ceiling, laid new stonework, restored 17th-century oil paintings, cleaned smoke-damaged stained glass windows and refurbished the grand organ. Experts restored the eight historic bells in the cathedral’s north tower and installed three new bells—including one that was rung by gold medalists during the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Overview of interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral
Hundreds of artisans and craftsmen spent the past five years restoring and repairing Notre-Dame Cathedral. Christophe Petit Tesson / Pool / AFP via Getty Images

“It feels like it was built yesterday, like it’s just been born, even though Notre-Dame is very old,” Adrien Willeme, a stonemason who worked on the cathedral, tells the Associated Press’ Thomas Adamson and John Leicester. “Because it’s been so carefully restored and cleaned, it looks really extraordinary.”

Investigators still have not identified the cause of the fire, reports Agence France-Presse. The leading theory is that the fire was an accident, possibly the result of an unextinguished cigarette butt or an electrical issue.

Two men and two women looking up at ceiling inside cathedral
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, admired the newly renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral on November 29. They were accompanied by Philippe Jost, the chief architect of France’s national monuments. Christophe Petit Tesson / Pool / AFP via Getty Images

Once the cathedral reopens, visitors will need to book a specific entry time, but admission will remain free. Reservations will be available in early December on the Notre-Dame website and via a forthcoming mobile app. Guests can show up without a reservation, but they may face long wait times, reports the Times’ Lindsey Tramuta. Only 2,700 visitors will be allowed inside at a time. Free guided tours of the cathedral’s exterior are also available.

Before the fire, Notre-Dame welcomed more than 12 million visitors each year—and that number is expected to rise after it reopens.

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Sarah Kuta

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.