Paris's Monumental Notre Dame Cathedral Is Scheduled to Reopen in December 2024

French officials said on Monday that the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is progressing at a rate that will enable it to reopen to the public by the end of 2024, just under six years after a disastrous fire destroyed the cathedral’s roof. In a powerful indication of the cathedral’s rebirth, the spire, which was destroyed in the fire, will begin rising again this year.

The cathedral’s blaze from April 15, 2019. ©USA Today

“My responsibility is to ensure this cathedral is ready for its 2024 dedication. And we will succeed; we work hard towards that goal daily. Roughly one thousand people, from the capital to all corners of the nation, work each day tirelessly to restore the Notre Dame Cathedral. As a result, the archbishop of the Paris can once again hold Catholic liturgies in his cathedral, and curious sightseers can visit the structure.” General Jean-Louis Georgelin, head of the army division in charge of the massive undertaking, made the following statement to the press.

Notre Dame Cathedral’s Reconstruction

When the monument was finally safe for the craftspeople to rebuild last year, the reconstruction process had been underway for over two years. Authorities have decided to restore the 12th-century monument, a marvel of Gothic architecture, to its former glory. That involves rebuilding the 315-foot spire that the renowned architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc added in the 19th century.

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©Danillo Cabrera Evangelista / Getty Images

And on Tuesday, in an underground complex in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, an exhibit titled “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site” will welcome visitors. It is free to view and showcases the site’s current operations and the staff’s knowledge and abilities. Some artifacts from the cathedral’s collection and relics from the fire will also be displayed.

The new display will give further guests, including those in town for the Olympics, a taste of what it’s like to see Notre Dame in a new light. Besides the free tour, paying tourists can immerse themselves in the Notre Dame Cathedral’s past through a virtual reality exhibition, boosting tourism in Paris.

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©BBC

According to Philippe Jost, managing director of the government agency in charge of the reconstruction, the end product will be exactly like the original architecture because they are using the same materials and techniques that were used to build the cathedral back in the Middle Ages and are also using the same collapsed shapes.

Jost stated, “We don’t do concrete vaults that look like stone; we do stone vaults that we reconstruct as they were built in the Medieval Era.” He added that the roof structure would also be constructed from oak, as in the past.

©AP Photo/Francois Mori, File

General Jean-Louis Georgelin also stated, “The hardest concern is to adhere precisely every day to the planning we have done,” emphasizing that this is the hardest part. The structure, the paintings, the stones, the vault, the organ, the stained glass, and so on are only some of the many tasks we must complete.”

On the other hand, the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, stated to the press that this does not necessarily mean that all restorations will be completed by then. She highlighted that even in 2025, there would continue work being done to renovate the Notre Dame Cathedral.