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Recently, the official Instagram page of the company responsible for the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris posted images of the roof, showing that it is over 90% complete. Accordingly, the cathedral is ready to reopen to tourists on December 8th.
On November 8th, the bells of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris rang out for the first time since the 2019 fire. The ringing of the bells marked a month before the cathedral officially reopened after five years of restoration work on this historic building.
To date, the spires of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris have been restored to their original form, following the 19th-century Gothic architectural style.
The 19th-century Gothic towers have now been restored to exact replicas of the originals, the stained-glass windows have regained their original color, and the walls have shone again. However, the reopening is not the end of the extensive restoration process. A portion of the lead roof still needs completion, and the statues of the apostles and saints, removed before the fire for restoration, will be reinstalled in the first half of 2025.
The fire that broke out on April 15, 2019, at Notre Dame Cathedral caused the collapse of the spire, the roof, and many other treasures of the 860-year-old Gothic architectural masterpiece in France.
However, the major restoration process is not yet complete. A portion of the lead roof still needs finishing, and the statues of the apostles and saints will be reinstalled in the first half of 2025.
Following the fire, it took two years just to stabilize the structure of Notre Dame Cathedral so that restorers could work safely inside. The reconstruction project is now underway with a team of around 1,000 artisans and craftsmen from across France.
The total cost of the restoration is estimated at nearly 700 million euros (over 750 million USD), funded by 846 million euros in donations from 150 countries. The remaining funds are being reallocated to urgently restore the exterior of the cathedral, on the east side.
After more than five years, the investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing, with initial findings suggesting it was caused by accidents such as electrical short circuits, welding torches, or cigarettes.
