A symbolic step for a reconstruction that is equally symbolic. A cross will be raised on the new spire of Notre-Dame de Paris on Wednesday, December 6, almost a year before the cathedral reopens to the public. The official opening date is set for December 8, 2024. The Paris skyline had already changed since November 28 with the raising of the scaffolding that supports the new spire of Notre-Dame, replacing the one destroyed by the fire on April 15, 2019. Follow our live coverage.
Restoration work continues. On November 24, the public body responsible for supervising the project indicated that the “familiar silhouette” of the spire would be visible “before Christmas.” Identical to the previous spire designed by the 19th-century architect Viollet-le-Duc, the new spire will remain surrounded by the scaffolding used for its construction.
Emmanuel Macron will make a decision on the contemporary stained glass windows on Friday. The Archbishop of Paris, Archbishop Ulrich, proposed to the President of the Republic contemporary stained glass windows for the side chapels of the nave, in order to commemorate the period of the fire and the reconstruction, a source at the Elysée told franceinfo, confirming information from RTL.
A tribute to General Georgelin. During his scheduled visit on Friday, the head of state “will be able to approach the spire” and on that occasion, “he will pay a special tribute to General Georgelin,” whose name will be engraved in the wood of the spire, the Elysée announced. Jean-Louis Georgelin supervised the project until he died in the mountains on August 18 at the age of 74.
The end of the project is scheduled for 2029-2030. Reopening does not mean the end of the work: many interventions are still planned, including the restoration of the flying buttresses of the nave and the choir. The project will not be fully completed until the end of the decade, in 2029 or 2030, according to the Elysée.
