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On a Monday in April 2019, thousands of people gathered near the burning Notre-Dame Cathedral. A choir joined to sing hymns as many stood in shock, or crying. Press from all over the world snapped pictures of the 860-year-old World Heritage Site and Parisian landmark that haunted the news cycle for weeks.
Now, after a colossal reconstruction effort and five and a half years of work, the cathedral has officially reopened on December 7, marked with a ceremony attended by international political and culture figures. Here’s everything you need to know about the weekend’s events.
How did we get here?
On April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame Cathedral went up in flames, but the cause still remains a mystery. The official line is that it was most likely an accident, caused by an electrical or human mistake like an errant lit cigarette butt.
The 860-year-old building, considered a cultural symbol, Gothic artpiece, and emblem of French pride, had its iconic spire collapse and wooden roof frame completely destroyed in the blaze.
At the time, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to restore the medieval building to its former glory within five years, saying it was “what our history deserves.” Today, France is weathering political and social turmoil, what with the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government and his resignation after pressures from both the right and left. It’s hoped that the return of Notre-Dame will stop up Macron’s own plummeting approval ratings during this tense political period.
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How was Notre-Dame reconstructed?
Macron has praised the 2,000 workers who brought Notre-Dame back and helped him “keep his promise.”
“You did it. And it’s an immense source of pride for the entire nation. I’m infinitely grateful to you, France is infinitely grateful to you,” Macron told them in an address at the site on Friday.
Hundreds of construction workers, artisans, carpenters, glassmakers, sculptors, gliders, and other restoration specialists contributed to the lengthy project. Two thousand oak trees from forests around France were utilized to replace the cathedral’s wood panelings, beams, and roof, while around 2,000 other features of the building were either restored or completely rebuilt.
Archways, gargoyles, and ornamental roofing were also restored and remade. Artisans did much of the construction using medieval tools to maintain the building’s traditional aesthetic. (Ideas to “modernize” the building floated by the French government were met with swift and widespread disapproval.)
A new golden rooster was added to Notre-Dame’s famous spire, which appeared against the Paris skyline in December 2023, while the rest of the building was still clad in scaffolding. In keeping with French tradition, French general Jean-Louis Georgelin, who oversaw the reconstruction efforts before his death in a mountain accident in August 2023, had his name engraved in the wood of the spire. A sealed tube containing the names of all 2,000 workers was also placed inside the aforementioned golden rooster. (The old rooster, salvaged from the rubble, will be on display in a new museum dedicated to Notre-Dame.)
How much did the reconstruction cost?
The entire bill for the colossal, lengthy rebuild was approximately $767 million. The cost of restoring the iconic stained glass windows alone was estimated around $3 million. Some 340,000 donors across 150 countries rasied $928 million for the effort; restoration chief Philippe Jost reported that €140 million (approximately $148 million) still remains from the donation fund. Any unspent money will go towards the cathedral’s future preservations, reportedly.
How did the fashion world react?
Paris, of course, is home to a pantheon of fashion houses, and at the time of the blaze in 2019, designers from Riccardo Tisci to Clare Waight Keller, Anthony Vaccarello, Olivier Rousteing, and Jean Paul Gaultier shared their sadness.
Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault donated $113 million for the restoration, while LVMH’s Bernard Arnault pledged $226 million. The Bettencourt Meyers family, which controls L’Oreal, also pledged $226 million.
In a statement at the time, LVMH said it showed “solidarity with this national tragedy,” and wished the money would help rebuild the “extraordinary” cathedral that is a “symbol of French heritage and unity.” LVMH said its creative and financial teams would support the rebuilding and helped to solicit more donations.
“This tragedy is striking to all the French people, and beyond that, all those attached to spiritual values,” François-Henri Pinault noted in a statement in 2019. “Faced with this tragedy, everyone wishes to give life back to this jewel of our heritage as soon as possible.”
To help mark the cathedral’s reopening, designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac worked with Chanel-owned crafts hubs in Paris to design the outfits worn by 700 clergy members during this weekend’s ceremony. The French designer previously made Pope John Paul II’s vestments for World Youth Day Paris 1997 with Maisons affiliated with le19M.
“Just like the quality of the heritage restoration work underway and the intervention of the many artisans and artists at the Atelier de Notre-Dame, the creation of these vestments reflects the care undertaken by the cathedral for its reopening and the joy of celebrating the liturgy here once again,” Monsignor Ribadeau Dumas, the rector-archpriest of Notre-Dame, said in a press statement.
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Who attended the opening ceremony?
The ceremony was attended by around 50 heads of state and government, as well as notable delegates from across the world. Although Donald Trump’s inauguration is still more than a month away, he absconded to Paris to attend. Prince William met with Trump after the ceremony, according to reports, to discuss the “special” US-UK relationship.
Pope Francis decided against attending the event. (According to a French archbishop, the pope was determined to keep the focus on Notre-Dame itself.) However, 170 bishops from around France and the world will join in the ceremony, as well as one priest from each of the Paris diocese’s 106 parishes.
Elon Musk and Salma Hayek, alongside her husband François-Henri Pinault, as well as Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley Biden, were also among those present.
What happened at the reopening?
The event was fully scheduled and regimented, with strict religious traditions to adhere to and to consecrate the cathedral appropriately. The evening, said to have 1,500 attendees, began with a speech from Macron. Laurent Ulrich, the archbishop of Paris, then struck the cathedral doors with a staff known as a crozier. The doors opened as the moving “Psalm 121” was sung.
The ceremony began with the “awakening” of Notre-Dame’s organ, a huge structure with 8,000 pipes that’s believed to be the largest in France. Next a succession of psalms and prayers known as the “chanting of the office” were sung. Then, a final blessing from the archbishop.
“The bells of Notre-Dame are ringing again,” Macron said in his first address. He added that “we must treasure this lesson of fragility, humility and will,” and “never forget how much each person counts.”
“The greatness of this cathedral is inseparable from the work of all,” he said. Macron concluded, “long live Notre-Dame” and the French republic. A standing ovation also took place for the firefighters in attendance who fought the blaze in 2019.
A concert was also set to take place on Saturday night, but due to adverse weather conditions, it was recorded live on Friday for a later broadcast. Gustavo Dudamel led the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France. (Dudamel, who conducted the Chineke! Orchestra at Virgil Abloh’s final show for Louis Vuitton, will become the music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic next year.)
Other performers included Pharrell Williams, Angélique Kidjo, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Lang Lang and Khatia Buniatishvili, organist Olivier Latry, violinists Renaud Capuçon and Daniel Lozakovich, and opera singers Nadine Sierra, Pretty Yende, and Benjamin Bernheim.
Vianney performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and Pretty Yende sang “Amazing Grace.” The grand organ was used by Olivier Latry in the “Organ Symphony” by Saint-Saens. Actor Marion Cotillard recited Victor Hugo as cellist Yo-Yo-Ma performed. Pharrell performed “Happy” backed up by a 60-person choir.
An impressive lightshow illuminated the building’s western facade. The exterior building was lit up with a message of thanks in various languages.
Saturday’s reopening ceremony was shown on local channel France 2, and was watched by 7.23 million people.
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When is it open to the public?
A ceremony took place on the Sunday evening which was free for the public to attend.
Paris’s tourism board has launched an app to reserve free tickets for future visits. The cathedral will be officially open from this week, and tickets will remain free. There is also the free exhibit “Notre-Dame de Paris: At the Heart of the Construction Site,” which offers an inside look at the massive construction project, with an installation underneath the cathedral in a former parking garage.
What happens next?
The first mass took place on Sunday morning, which also marked the second Sunday of Advent. This also included the consecration of the new altar, with the relics of five saints sealed within it. Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich led the mass, which was once again attended by Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron. 170 bishops from across France and the world also participated in the Sunday mass. And again, the white and primary-colored vestments and robes designed by Castelbajac were worn.
A second mass in the evening invited the public in for the first time. Mass will be held twice daily, open to the public, for a week after its opening. On December 17 and 18, there will be performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat.
While Notre-Dame is now open to the public, the work on it isn’t expected to be totally finished until 2026, with the apse and sacristy still to be completed, and new stained glass windows to be installed. There is an ongoing competition for French artists to contribute to new stained glass window designs. One of the competing artists is Daniel Buren, a previous Louis Vuitton collaborator and artist whose black and white columns sit in the Palais Royal’s inner courtyard.
