Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral to reopen in 2024
PARIS >> The reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is going fast enough to allow its reopening to visitors and faithful at the end of 2024, less than six years after a fire ravaged its roof, French officials said Monday.
The cathedral's iconic spire, which collapsed in the blaze, will gradually start reappearing above the monument this year in a powerful signal of its revival, the army general in charge of the colossal project, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, said.
“The return of the spire in Paris' sky will in my opinion be the symbol that we are winning the battle of Notre Dame,” he told the Associated Press.
The reconstruction itself started last year, after more than two years of work to make the monument stable and secure enough for artisans to start rebuilding it.
Authorities have made the choice to rebuild the 12th century monument, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the way it was before. That includes recreating the 315-foot spire added in the 19th century by architect Eugene Violletle-Duc.
Meanwhile, an exhibition called “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site” is to open to visitors today in an underground facility in front of the cathedral.
Accessible for free, it highlights ongoing operations on the site and the expertise and skills of workers. It also features some remains from the fire and works of art from the cathedral.
Gen. Georgelin said the cathedral will reopen in December 2024, in line with the goal set by President Emmanuel Macron just after the fire — yet it will be too late for the Paris Olympic Games scheduled in summer next year.
Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak told the AP that this doesn't mean all the renovation will be finished then. “There will still be some renovation work going on in 2025,” she stressed.