France shows off restored Notre Dame after ‘impossible’ restoration

PARIS: France on Friday showed off to the world the gleaming restored interior of Notre Dame cathedral, just over a week before the 850-year-old mediaeval edifice reopens following painstaking restoration after the devastating 2019 fire.

President Emmanuel Macron conducted an inspection of the restoration, broadcast live on television, saying workers had done the “impossible” by healing a “national wound” after the fire on April 19, 2019.

While every effort has been made to remain faithful to the original look of the cathedral, an international team of designers and architects have created a luminous space that has an immediate impact on the visitor.

The floor shimmers and the freshly-cleaned walls dazzle, while a subtle combination of natural and artificial light creates a near theatrical impression.

“You have achieved what was thought impossible,” Macron told restoration workers and officials who packed Notre Dame, after he toured the cathedral.

“The blaze at Notre Dame was a national wound, and you have been its remedy through will, through work, through commitment,” he said, adding the cathedral´s re-opening will be a “shock of hope”.

Notre Dame will welcome visitors and worshippers again over the December 7-8 weekend, after a sometimes challenging restoration.

World leaders are expected to attend but the guest list has yet to be revealed.

Macron toured the key areas of the cathedral, including the nave, choir and chapel, and spoke to experts.

“Sublime,” said a visibly pleased Macron, who was accompanied by the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, plus France´s culture minister, the mayor of Paris and other officials.