PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame is reopening its doors for the first time since a fire in 2019 nearly destroyed Paris’ beloved 12th-century cathedral.
World leaders — including President-elect Donald Trump, America’s first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — gathered Saturday among some 1,500 guests to celebrate the restoration of the landmark widely considered to be a pinnacle of French architectural heritage.
Saturday’s events started with Archbishop Laurent Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors with three resounding knocks.
Following the 2019 fire, nearly $1 billion in donations poured in from around the world, a tribute to its worldwide appeal.
For more of AP’s coverage on Notre Dame, visit https://apnews.com/hub/notre-dame-cathedral
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Macron expresses ‘gratitude’ to those who saved, helped and rebult Notre Dame Cathedral
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “gratitude” Saturday to those who saved, helped and rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral.
“I stand before you … to express the gratitude of the French nation,” Macron said at the reopening ceremony.
“Tonight, the bells of Notre Dame are ringing again. And in a moment, the organ will awaken,” sending the “music of hope” to Parisians, France and the world.
Macron spoke in front of 1,500 guests invited to celebrate the restoration of Paris’ 12th-century cathedral which was nearly destroyed by a fire in 2019. They included world leaders like President-elect Donald Trump, U.S. first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Guests give standing ovation after short film documenting the rebuilding efforts
Notre Dame echoed to the sound of a sustained standing ovation after the showing of a short movie that documented the gargantuan rebuilding effort by thousands of workers who labored — and ultimately met — a 5-year deadline set by French President Emmanuel Macron in the aftermath of the blaze. Outside, the word “MERCI” — thank you — was projected against the cathedral’s iconic western facade in multiple languages.
The movie showed the terrible wounds left by the inferno — the gaping holes torn into its vaulted ceilings and the burned roof. But that was followed by images of all types of artisans, many using traditional hand-craft techniques, who collectively restored Notre Dame to look better now than ever.
“We went from night to light,” said one of the workers in the movie.
Notre Dame’s largest bell, the 13-ton Emmanuel, rings out
The congregation inside the huge cathedral was ghostly quiet as its largest bell, the 13-ton Emmanuel, rang out into the Paris night, signaling the start of the ceremony.
Inside, Elon Musk gazed up at the renovated vaulted ceilings. Jill Biden was the last VIP welcomed outside by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, before Archbishop Laurent Ulrich then took over.
“Brothers and sisters, let us enter now into Notre Dame,” he said as he stood outside, before its closed doors. “It is she who accompanies us on our path to peace.”
He then banged on the door three times with the base of his crosier, or bishop’s cross. Inside, the choir erupted into song, the crystalline voices filing what — until recently — had been a building site. Three times, Ulrich appealed to the cathedral to open its doors. Three times, the choir responded in song. He then pushed open the heavy door: Notre Dame’s rebirth was underway.
Archibishop Laurent Ulrich knocks three times on Notre Dame’s doors, officially marking cathedral’s reopening
With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a staff carved from fire-scorched beams, the cathedral roared back to life Saturday evening.
For the first time since a devastating 2019 blaze, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship, its rebirth marked by song, prayer, and awe beneath its soaring arches.
While the ceremony was initially planned to begin on the forecourt, unusually fierce December winds whipping across the central Paris island, flanked by the River Seine, forced all events inside. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendor. Inside the luminous nave, choirs are singing psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ, silent for nearly five years, is thundering to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.
The evening’s celebration, being attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscores Notre Dame’s enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon.
Groups gather in Paris to protest Trump
A small group of American expats gathered near Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday to protest the presence of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at the reopening ceremony. Organized under the banner “Paris Against Trump,” the group criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for inviting Trump but chose not to organize a large demonstration to avoid disrupting the event.
“We find this a bit shameful and sad that Trump is invited here, especially since he has gone against everything the Church stands for,” said Ehlyr O’Rourke, 34, a spokesperson for the association. “We don’t understand why a criminal, a sex offender, a felon can actually be invited in here.”
Later in the day, thousands marched through Paris, denouncing Trump’s visit and expressing support for Palestine. Organized by left-wing parties, unions, and pro-Palestinian groups, the demonstration featured Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, and chants calling for Palestinian resistance, President Macron’s impeachment, and criticizing Trump’s alleged complicity in Middle East conflicts.
“We are protesting every week to support Palestine, but what’s special today is the arrival of Donald Trump,” said Nadia Messai, one of the protesters in the crowd. “Trump has been supporting Israel, much like the United States has been since the beginning of the creation of this rogue state that is occupying Palestine illegally.”
Cathedral’s renovation chief hopes the reopening is a moment of unity
Philippe Jost, Notre Dame cathedral renovation chief, said the reopening is an opportunity for unity as so many divisions remain in the world.
“We hope it will be a great moment of unity for the French people, for guests from all over the world and for spectators from all over the world,” he said. “Notre Dame de Paris unites. There are so many divisive factors. An event like this must unite, must help concord and peace to grow throughout the world.”
Notre Dame’s rector emphasizes the importance of the separation of church and state
rector of Notre Dame and chief of the reconstruction project: (credit to Mark Carlson)
Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, the Notre Dame rector called the reopening an important moment that has been awaited a long time.
“Notre Dame de Paris is the very sign of the presence of a soul in the heart of our city. It’s important for Parisians, it’s important for Catholics, it’s important for the French and for the whole world,” he said.
“In general, the sphere of politics doesn’t enter the sphere of the religious, and shouldn’t. In the same way, the religious sphere doesn’t enter politics,” he added. “The Archbishop of Paris invited the President of the Republic to speak inside the cathedral as a sign of the unity that could be seen in the reconstruction. The archbishop allowed him to speak inside because the weather conditions did not allow him to speak outside.”
Guests file into Notre Dame Cathedral for the ceremonies
Guests gradually filing the cathedral for the evening reopening ceremonies are reveling at the renovated interiors, with many whipping out cell phones to take souvenir photos.
“It’s a sense of perfection,” said François Le Page, who works for the Notre Dame foundation that raised nearly half of the nearly 900 million euros of donations. He last set foot in the cathedral in 2021, on a visit
“It’s night and day,” said Rev. Andriy Morkvas, a Ukrainian pastor who leads the The Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr the Great church in Paris’ St. Germain des Pres said it had been 10 years since he last stepped foot inside Notre Dame. “God is very powerful, he can change things.”
He expressed hope that the cathedral could help bring peace to his country and he drew heart from the expected attendance of Ukraine’s president.
“I hope Notre Dame and Mary will help us resolve this conflict,” he said.
French government security agents are helping to ensure Trump’s safety alongside the Secret Service
Outside the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president, dozens of members of the French Republican Guard stood by awaiting Donald Trump’s arrival.
Trump was in Paris on Saturday for his first international trip as president-elect, ready to join world leaders celebrating the renovation of Notre Dame Cathedral and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Prince William.
More than 20 French government security agents have been helping ensure Trump’s safety alongside the Secret Service, according to French national police. A special French police van was providing anti-drone protection for Trump’s convoy.
Security was tighter than usual outside the U.S. Embassy and other sites around Paris for the Notre Dame reopening, where dozens of international VIPs were expected.
Macron, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Trump, has made a point of cultivating a relationship since the Republican defeated Democrat Kamala Harris last month. But Macron’s office nonetheless played down the significance of the invitation, saying other politicians not now in office had been invited as well.
Trump was invited as president-elect of a “friendly nation,” Macron’s office said, adding, “This is in no way exceptional, we’ve done it before.”
Notre Dame in numbers
Perhaps not surprisingly for such a big cathedral, some of the numbers that help tell the story of Notre Dame’s reopening are on the very big side, too. The bell that will sound to signal the start of the service weighs 13 tons, making it the cathedral’s largest. It has a name – Emmanuel – given to it by King Louis XIV after it was cast in 1683. It rings in F sharp.
Inside, 42,000 square meters of stonework were cleaned during the renovation — an area equivalent to roughly six soccer pitches. The first stone of Notre Dame was laid in 1163. The thunderous great organ of Notre Dame that will be heard in public at Saturday’s service for the first time since April 15, 2019, has 7,952 pipes — the largest as broad as a human torso; the smallest no larger than a pen. The renovated giant console that controls the instrument has five keyboards of 56 notes each, foot pedals for 30 notes, and 115 stops.
Unseen, above the congregation and the repaired vaulted ceilings, is a framework of beams holding up the roof and spire – so dense and intricate that it’s nicknamed “the forest.” Some 2,000 oak trees were felled to rebuild it.
Trump to meet with Macron ahead of the reopening ceremonies
President-elect Donald Trump is to meet Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace ahead of the reopening ceremony for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. This is Trump’s first foreign trip since the election.
Macron’s office said both leaders will discuss global crisis, including wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine as well as French-American bilateral relations.
Macron is scheduled to have a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy right after his meeting with Trump.
Notre Dame celebrations comes as Macron’s presidency now faces its gravest crisis after the government’s collapse this week in a historic no-confidence vote that toppled Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Devout Catholics say the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening will ‘nourish us’
For devout Catholics Patricia and Cyrille Brenner, waiting in the cold outside Notre Dame for its reopening service that they weren’t invited to was the place to be. The couple traveled by night train from Cannes on the French Riviera – famous for its movie festival – to be among the onlookers Saturday hoping for some of the 40,000 spots set aside for the public on the banks of the River Seine facing the cathedral. They bought their train tickets six months ago.
“I’m from Cannes. It’s a bit like the festival. You have to be there to experience it,” said Patricia, 65. “It’s a pilgrimage for us.”
Cyrille, 66, said they were the only members of their parish to make the long trip. “We like to be at the heart of things and, as Christians, it will nourish us,” he said.
While Cyrille said they’d felt “distress, sadness” when Notre Dame burned, they both also noted how sacred relics, statues and the golden cross on the altar – almost miraculously – survived the inferno.
They both marveled at the renovation works that have not only eradicated nearly all traces of the fire inside but made it more resplendent than ever.
Some visitors hope talks on the sidelines will be good for Ukraine
Andrey Alexeev, a Ukrainian among onlookers gathering for the reopening of Notre Dame, hopes U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can meet and talk on the ceremony’s sidelines. Their host, French President Emmanuel Macron, was meeting with both leaders before they attend the reopening service for the cathedral.
Alexeev was hoping Trump and Zelenskyy would meet, too. “I hope that meeting can change something in a good way for Ukraine,” he said. “It’s good that Zelenskyy has a chance to speak with Trump and Macron. At least it’s an opportunity for Ukraine.”
Alexeev, who lives in Poland, was visiting Paris with his mother, Olha, who travelled from Ukraine. They were hoping for two of the 40,000 places that were set aside for the public in fenced-off areas on the banks of the River Seine, facing the cathedral. Alexeev said he’s agnostic but that it felt important for him to be as close to the ceremonies as possible. By coincidence, his sister was visiting Paris when Notre Dame burned on April 15, 2019.
“It’s one of the greatest places not only in Europe but also the whole world,” he said. Such an occasion “happens once in 1,000 years, I think. So we are part of history.”
What to expect
Saturday’s events will blend solemn religious tradition with an official presidential speech and cultural grandeur.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will welcome the dozens of heads of state and government. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will then take over — with a rite to symbolically reopen Notre Dame’s doors, kicking off the ceremonies at 7 p.m.
The ceremony that was to have been held outside will then unfold inside, with a film retracing the renovations, music and a speech by Macron.
Ulrich will then take over again, with a rite to reawaken Notre Dame’s organ and the rest of the religious service scheduled to last about 55 minutes.
Notre Dame reopening falls victim to bad weather
PARIS — After more than 5 years of renovation, the reopening of Notre Dame — like the Paris Olympics before it — has fallen victim to bad weather.
Forecasted strong winds have upended the running order of the reopening ceremonies on Saturday evening, and forced the whole thing indoors.
The original plan was for an initial outdoor state ceremony led by President Emmanuel Macron, after which Archbishop Laurent Ulrich was to have taken over, leading rites and a religious service inside the cathedral. Those plans would have emphasized France’s carefully policed divide between state and church.
But expected stormy winds prompted the Paris diocese and Macron’s office to telescope the ceremonies together, now all to be held inside the cathedral.
It’s the second time this year that weather has intervened in significant moments for Paris. Rains drenched the July 26 opening ceremony of the Summer Games, dampening the show and the spirits of some spectators.
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