Notre Dame is reopening its doors for the first time since a fire in 2019 nearly destroyed Paris' beloved 12th-century cathedral.
World leaders — including President-elect Donald Trump, America’s first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — are gathering Saturday among some 1,500 guests to celebrate the restoration of the landmark widely considered to be a pinnacle of French architectural heritage.
Saturday’s events will start with Archbishop Laurent Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors.
Following the 2019 fire, nearly $1 billion in donations poured in from around the world, a tribute to its worldwide appeal.
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What to expect
Saturday’s events will blend solemn religious tradition with an official presidential speech and cultural grandeur.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will welcome the dozens of heads of state and government. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will then take over — with a rite to symbolically reopen Notre Dame’s doors, kicking off the ceremonies at 7 p.m.
The ceremony that was to have been held outside will then unfold inside, with a film retracing the renovations, music and a speech by Macron.
Ulrich will then take over again, with a rite to reawaken Notre Dame’s organ and the rest of the religious service scheduled to last about 55 minutes.
Notre Dame reopening falls victim to bad weather
PARIS — After more than 5 years of renovation, the reopening of Notre Dame — like the Paris Olympics before it — has fallen victim to bad weather.
Forecasted strong winds have upended the running order of the reopening ceremonies on Saturday evening, and forced the whole thing indoors.
The original plan was for an initial outdoor state ceremony led by President Emmanuel Macron, after which Archbishop Laurent Ulrich was to have taken over, leading rites and a religious service inside the cathedral. Those plans would have emphasized France’s carefully policed divide between state and church.
But expected stormy winds prompted the Paris diocese and Macron’s office to telescope the ceremonies together, now all to be held inside the cathedral.
It’s the second time this year that weather has intervened in significant moments for Paris. Rains drenched the July 26 opening ceremony of the Summer Games, dampening the show and the spirits of some spectators.
