Following the horrific fire which destroyed significant parts of the historic Paris cathedral in 2019, the church will finally open its doors once again next year.
By December 2024, when Notre Dame has recently announced it plans to reopen to members of the public, it will be five years since the world looked on as a devastating fire tore through the cathedral. After the major fire was put out, French President Emanuel Macron set a reopening target of 2024, in order for the church to be open for the Paris 2024 Olympics, however it is set to miss this goal by a few months.
Despite the blaze occurring in 2019, the reconstruction only began in 2022, as two years were needed to ensure the church was structurally sound enough to build upon. Since then, over one thousand people have been drafted in to work on the building, including specialists in musical instruments, stained glass windows and historical painting. French officials made the decision to reconstruct Notre Dame like-for-like as it was before the fire, including rebuilding the cathedral’s famous 96-metre spire. However, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, many proposals for more modern reconstructions were proposed by architects. These glass and electronic themed updates were rejected after more than a hundred notable French celebrities officially protested.
With a current proposed reopening date of December 2024, there is hope that Notre Dame will continue to be one of the most prominent attractions in the French capital. Before the fire, the cathedral saw over 12 million yearly visitors and was the location of historic and religious events, movies and TV shows. This planned reopening date will also apply to church services, which will resume for locals and members of the public, however it has been noted that the restoration work will likely continue into 2025.
Currently visitors in Paris can still see Notre Dame from the outside, although it is covered in scaffolding, and visit the underground exhibition which profiles the hundreds of workers helping to restore the cathedral to its former glory. Within this exhibition, there is also an immersive virtual reality show available which recreates the construction of Notre Dame over the past 860 years since its conception. This October, the Louvre will be hosting its own exhibition featuring relics, artwork and manuscripts from Notre Dame which were saved from the fire.
In addition to rebuilding the roof and spire which were destroyed, the renovations are being used to give Notre Dame a full update for visitors. This will include a huge cleaning project to eliminate dust and debris, as well as a tree-lined square, spacious park and underground promenade set to be completed by 2027.
