This photograph shows the nave of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 29, 2024. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Notre Dame Cathedral unveiled its new interior with rebuilt ceilings and new stonework erasing memories after a devastating fire in 2019.
New images of the cathedral were shown during a live broadcast of a site visit by French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted by open spaces filled with bright light on a crisp and sunny winter’s day that lit up the vibrant colors of the stained glass windows.
The renovated interior was displayed Friday for the first time before the public is allowed back in on Dec. 8.
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New stonework was pieced together to repair damage that left the cathedral’s insides exposed to the elements, while golden angels look on from the centerpiece of one of the rebuilt ceilings.
According to the Associated Press, the Notre Dame Cathedral’s bright, cream-colored limestone walls look brand new, cleaned not only of dust from the fire but also of grime that had accumulated for centuries.
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Macron’s visit to the cathedral began a series of events to celebrate the reopening of the 12th-century structure. At the end of his tour, the president addressed hundreds of workers gathered inside the cathedral and thanked them for their labors on what he called the “building site of the century.”
The AP noted that Macron will return on Dec. 7 to deliver another address and will attend the blessing of the new altar during a Mass the following day.
