December 7, 2024 5:34 PM.
In France, the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is reopening its doors today, five-and-a-half years after a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark. The restoration, a spectacular achievement in just five years for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build, is widely seen as a moment of triumph for French President Emmanuel Macron.
Several world leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers will gather for the opening ceremony in the evening to mark the occasion in a rare moment of unity against the backdrop of global divisions and conflicts.
Around 1,500 guests including America’s First Lady Jill Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and Britain’s Prince William along with nearly 50 heads of state and government and personalities will attend the reopening celebration. On the evening of the 15th of April in 2019, the roof of the medieval Gothic masterpiece burst into flames.
Much of the roof collapsed but the bell towers and facade held. Notre Dame de Paris is one of the French capital’s most beloved and visited monuments, celebrated for its rib vaulting, flying buttresses, stunning stained-glass windows and carved stone gargoyles.