Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens on Saturday, five years after fire

Ardee Napolitano - Reuters - 07/12
Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens its doors on Saturday, five-and-a-half years after it was ravaged by a devastating fire that destroyed its spire and roof and brought the entire Gothic masterpiece within minutes of collapsing.
  • Major fire hit the cathedral in 2019
  • Ceremony marks reopening of Gothic masterpiece
  • Cathedral is one of France's most-beloved and visited monuments
  • Trump, Zelenskiy among guests at Saturday's opening ceremony
PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens its doors on Saturday, five-and-a-half years after it was ravaged by a devastating fire that destroyed its spire and roof and brought the entire Gothic masterpiece within minutes of collapsing.
The 860-year old medieval cathedral, a symbol of both France and Paris, has been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting, its flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles returned to their past glory and the white stone and gold decorations shining brighter than ever.
On the evening of April 15, 2019, Parisians who rushed to the scene and TV viewers worldwide watched with horror as the cathedral's spire and roof collapsed in the raging fire that threatened the main bell towers and the entire structure, which narrowly avoided destruction.
"The planet was shaken on that day," French President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of Saturday's opening ceremony. "The shock of the reopening will – I believe and I want to believe – be as strong as that of the fire, but it will be a shock of hope."
Macron, who is weakened by a deep political crisis at home, will have the chance to forget those woes when he welcomes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Britain's Prince William and dozens of heads...
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