Notre Dame Cathedral to Reopen After Restoration in Late 2024

Based on the massive fire incident that occurred in April 2019, the incident directly impacted the Notre Dame Cathedral building, which was also burned and damaged. According to investigators, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. After the fire incident, Emmanuel Macron (President of France) promised to rebuild Notre Dame, one of France's most popular tourist attractions. The building will be similar to its original form before the fire struck. Several architectural studios and firms were involved in proposing some of their restoration designs.

Notre Dame Cathedral restoration process (cr: David Bordes)

The cathedral was closed to the public during the Paris Olympics held in July and August. Because most of the cathedral area was still filled with scaffolding, which took weeks or even months to remove. The top of the tower alone was protected by approximately 70,000 scaffolding pieces that, if measured, could weigh up to 600 tons.

Notre Dame Cathedral restoration process (cr: Romaric Toussaint)

The spires of Notre Dame Cathedral (cr: Relais Du Louvre)

The spires of Notre Dame de Paris cathedral have been slightly modified from the previous ones, but are still true to Viollet-le-Duc's original design. The new spires of Notre Dame de Paris are each decorated with almost 200 hooks and floral motifs, 16 pinnacles, 32 gargoyles, 16 bay arches, and 8 four-leafed leaves on each of its eight sides. The overall design of the building is inspired by a medieval aesthetic revived in honor of Viollet-le-Duc's design. It is a sturdy wooden frame crowned with a gold cross. The spire is 96 meters high and features a miniature rooster placed at the top to symbolize resilience and renewal. The Archbishop of Paris blessed the rooster last December before being installed by crane. The interior contains several relics, including fragments believed to be Jesus' crown of thorns. The new spire of Notre Dame de Paris cathedral is anchored 30 meters above the ground on a transept of around 1,000 pieces of wood.

The process of installing the statue of Christ (cr: David Bordes)

Notre Dame Cathedral wooden roof trusses (cr: Relais Du Louvre)

The installation involved a design team who had to erect a 48-story, 600-ton scaffolding for assembly. In November 2023 the statue of Christ was reinstalled on the top of the south gable wall along with the rebuilt wooden nave of the cathedral.

Interior Notre Dame Cathedral (cr: Relais Du Louvre)

Interior Notre Dame Cathedral (cr: Relais Du Louvre)

The repairs were done over 5 years, with many ups and downs. The repair process involved experts in their respective fields, a total of around 20 specialties who have worked to restore this medieval building. After the repairs, according to the latest information provided by the public institution Rebâtir Notre Dame de Paris, the cathedral's reopening is scheduled for the end of this year before Christmas if there are no obstacles, precisely on December 8, 2024. To prevent a similar fire incident from happening again, an anti-fire fog system was implemented under the roof of the cathedral.