Five years after the UNESCO World Heritage monument was badly damaged in a fire, world leaders gathered in the French capital for the reopening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Some of the esteemed guests include US President-elect Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Elon Musk, and Prince William.
Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich ceremonially reopened the doors of Notre Dame Cathedral, marking the beginning of a solemn ceremony attended by French Macron and numerous heads of state from around the world.
In addition to prayer and song, the reopening ceremony honoured the numerous people who helped to rebuild and save Notre Dame.
Five years after the fire, the President of the Republic and his wife, Brigitte Macron, participated in the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, this Saturday, December 7, 2024, Elysee Palace said in a release.
They welcomed heads of state, government and international organizations as well as their spouses to attend this ceremony, the release added.
“Tonight, I stand before you … to express the gratitude of the French nation – gratitude to all those who saved, helped, and rebuilt Notre-Dame. Tonight, the bells of Notre-Dame will ring again,” Macron said during the ceremony, Al Jazeera reported.
French President Macron also thanked all those mobilised to save and rebuild Notre Dame.
In a post on X, Macron wrote, “To our firefighters and all the forces who saved Notre-Dame, to all the artisans and companions who made it even more beautiful, to patrons and generous donors around the world, to all those who made it possible to keep the promise.”
French firefighters who helped fight the fire received a standing ovation during Saturday’s reopening ceremony. The word “merci” – French for “thank you” – was also illuminated on the front of the building, according to Al Jazeera.
Ahead of the reopening ceremony, Macron met Trump and Zelenskyy. Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, “I had a good and productive trilateral meeting with President @realDonaldTrump and President @EmmanuelMacron at the Elysee Palace.”
“President Trump is, as always, resolute. I thank him. I also extend my gratitude to Emmanuel for organizing this important meeting. We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace. We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible,” the post further read.
Notably, just after the fire incident on April 15, 2019, Macron had pledged to restore the cathedral — one of the most significant places in French history — within five years.
While the cathedral was being secured, in preparation for the rebirth of Notre Dame, it was decided that the cathedral would be rebuilt exactly as it was before. The vaulted ceilings, some of which had collapsed, were a priority of the project.
According to estimates, the restoration cost a whopping 700 million euros (USD 737 million), CNN reported.
A staggering 846 million euros (USD 891 million) was raised through donations from 340,000 donors in 150 countries.