5 gün önce

France's iconic Notre Dame reopens five years after devastating fire

Many world leaders, dignitaries and worshippers gather to mark the occasion.

AFP

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (L), French President Emmanuel Macron (2L) and his wife Brigitte Macron (3R) stand as the Archbishop of Paris, Bishop Ulrich walks to the doors of Notre-Dame Cathedral during a ceremony to mark the re-opening of the landmark Cathedral, in central Paris, on December 7, 2024. / Photo: AFP

France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has formally reopened its doors on Saturday for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019.

The restoration is being hailed as a spectacular achievement, completed in just five years for a structure that originally took nearly two centuries to build.

Under the luminous stained glass, many world leaders, dignitaries and worshippers gathered in the evening to mark the occasion.

President-elect Donald Trump, America's first lady Jill Biden, Britain's Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were among 1,500 guests attending the reopening celebration under Notre Dame's soaring Gothic arches, led by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.

Because of strong winds forecast for Saturday evening in Paris, the French presidential palace and the Paris diocese said the entire opening ceremony was held inside Notre Dame, instead of starting from the cathedral's forecourt as initially planned.