Notre Dame reopens: World leaders gather for grand ceremony
After a five-year reconstruction period, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, one of France's most significant places of worship and a key monument, will reopen to the public on Saturday. The reconstruction became necessary after a devastating fire struck the cathedral in 2019. The reopening ceremony will attract numerous guests, including leaders from various countries.
The festivities will begin on Saturday at 1 PM Eastern Time. Among the several dozen invited heads of state and government are U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. From the U.S., in addition to Trump, Jill Biden, the wife of outgoing President Joe Biden, will attend. British Prince William will be present, along with monarchs from Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, and Norway.
Germany and Italy will be represented by Presidents Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella. Bulgaria, Croatia, and Greece will also be represented by their respective heads of state: Rumen Radev, Zoran Milanović, and Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Joining them will be the presidents of Estonia - Alar Karis, Finland - Alexander Stubb, and Lithuania - Gitanas Nausėda, as well as Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The female presidents of Georgia and Kosovo, Salome Zourabichvili and Vjosa Osmani, are expected. Prime Ministers from Armenia and Serbia, Nikol Pashinyan and Miloš Vučević, will also be present.
The grand ceremony in Paris
At the beginning of the ceremony, the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, will knock with a staff on the cathedral's closed doors. A psalm will be heard as a symbolic "response" from the church, which has been silent since the fire. On the third knock and third chant, the doors will open.
A ceremony will take place inside the cathedral, originally planned to be held in the plaza in front of the church but relocated due to predicted strong winds. The event will include a film about the cathedral's reconstruction and a tribute to the firefighters and builders who saved the church. Afterwards, France's President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a speech lasting about 15 minutes.
The religious part—the opening service—will then begin. Archbishop Ulrich will symbolically "awaken" the organ, an 18th-century instrument consisting of 8,000 pipes. The archbishop will bless the organ; prayer and a symbolic dialogue will follow, in which the organ, invoked eight times, will respond with music. These will be improvisations performed by four organists. Prayers and hymns will be heard. The final blessing and the hymn "Te Deum" will conclude the service.
In the evening, President Macron will host an official dinner for the leaders.
An outstanding architectural work
Notre Dame, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. Its western facade is among the most beautiful of early Gothic cathedrals, thanks to its perfect proportions. Throughout its history, the cathedral has withstood desecration and devastation, including during the French Revolution when it was turned into the Temple of Reason. In 1794, it was converted into a warehouse. However, a decade later, in 1804, Napoleon chose Notre Dame as the site of his coronation to break with tradition. The ceremony was immortalized in a famous painting by Jacques-Louis David.
In the 19th century, when the cathedral was again at risk of deterioration and threatened with demolition, Victor Hugo saved it with his novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1831). The ensuing popularity led to the renovation of the church. This period marked the beginning of Notre Dame's role as an emotional touchstone, stemming from the Romantic fascination with Gothic architecture and the view of medieval cathedrals as expressions of national spirit. Thanks to Hugo and the renovation led by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, resulting in the familiar shape we know today, Notre Dame became one of France's most important historical and cultural monuments.
In the 20th century, Notre Dame showcased unity during times of mourning and crisis. On May 19, 1940, during the Nazi offensive in France, a Mass attended by the then French government, led by Paul Reynaud, was held in the cathedral. On August 26, 1944, in the presence of General Charles de Gaulle, a thanksgiving Mass was celebrated following the liberation of Paris from German occupation. It hosted funerals for Marshal of France and Poland Ferdinand Foch and presidents Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, and François Mitterrand. On November 15, 2015, a Mass was held to commemorate the victims of terrorist attacks that shook Paris two days earlier.
An important site of worship for Catholics, the cathedral is the heart of Paris, one of its symbols, and one of the most visited monuments in the world. Approximately 15 million people are expected to cross its thresholds annually. The cathedral can accommodate approximately 40,000 people daily, meaning it will have twice as many visitors as the Palace of Versailles.
