Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral to reopen after fire: media reveal details of ceremony.

For the first Time since the fire on December 11, a mass will be held at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. As part of the solemn event, a choir of all participants in the grand restoration of the cathedral will perform, writes Le Figaro.

The choir, which already includes workers, security service employees, restorers, glaziers, carpenters, and archaeologists who have started rehearsing, will perform the spiritual hymn of French composer Gabriel Fauré and the song of Jean Racine. The edition notes that rehearsals have been ongoing for several months under the direction of conductor Frédéric Pinot, who leads several amateur groups, including the Sorbonne choir.

The idea of ​​the restoration participants performing at the reopening ceremony of the cathedral originated from Stephanie Duchenne, a chemist in the fresco painting department and polychrome research laboratory of historical monuments. She emphasized that around 80 people enthusiastically supported her initiative.

Restoration of the Cathedral and Installation of the Cross

It is worth noting that on May 24, 2024, a restored metal cross, 12 meters wide and weighing about 2 tons, was reinstalled on the roof of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, which had collapsed during the fire. Masters in Normandy returned the element to its original condition for about a year and a half.

French President Emmanuel Macron also announced during a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that Notre-Dame will open to visitors on December 8.

Recall that on April 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in the French capital, which was extinguished only by ten in the morning the next day. Over 400 firefighters worked to put out the fire and they managed to save the building from complete destruction. The famous spire of the cathedral and part of the roof collapsed as a result of the fire.

French Minister of Culture Franck Riester stated that the damage in the cathedral was mainly caused by smoke, not fire. He predicted that the restoration of the cathedral will take many years and hundreds of millions of euros. The President of France immediately planned to complete the restoration work within five years.