France shows restored Notre Dame after ‘impossible’ restoration

PARIS: France showed the world on Friday the gleaming restored interior of Notre Dame Cathedral, just a week before the 850-year-old medieval building reopens after a devastating 2019 fire.

President Emmanuel Macron inspected the restoration, broadcast live on television, saying workers had made it “impossible” to heal a “national wound” after the April 19, 2019 fire.

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

Floors shine and freshly cleaned walls shine, while a subtle blend of natural and artificial lighting creates an almost theatrical impression.

“You have achieved what was thought impossible,” Macron told restoration workers and officials packing Notre Dame, after touring the cathedral.

“The fire at Notre Dame was a national wound, and you are healing it through will, through work, through determination,” he said, adding that reopening the cathedral would be a “shock of hope.”

Notre Dame will welcome visitors and worshipers again on the weekend of December 7-8, after a sometimes difficult restoration.

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

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

“Brilliant,” said a visibly delighted Macron, who was flanked by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, France’s culture minister, the mayor of Paris and other officials.