Just like a phoenix, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will rise again from the ashes. French officials announced on March 6 that one of the country’s most iconic buildings will welcome visitors and faithful by December 2024, reports France24.
Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, the army general in charge of restoration, revealed that the public will see the cathedral’s spire gradually rise above the monument this year, marking its recovery after a devastating fire almost six years ago. “The return of the spire in Paris’ sky will in my opinion be the symbol that we are winning the battle of Notre Dame.”
My job is to be ready to open this cathedral in 2024. And we will do it. —Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, the army general in charge of restoration
The Covid pandemic delayed the reconstruction of Notre Dame, but the two years were spent in making the monument stable and finding enough skilled artists to work on the huge project. After much deliberation, authorities decided to rebuild the UNESCO World Heritage Site the way it was before.
Georgelin said about 1,000 people will work on the historic Notre Dame. “The biggest challenge is to comply precisely every day to the planning we have done,” he pointed out. “We have a lot of different works to achieve: the framework, the painting, the stones, the vault, the organ, the stained glass and so on.”
Georgelin added that the reopening schedule is in line with what President Emmanuel Macron announced just after the fire.
“My job is to be ready to open this cathedral in 2024. And we will do it,” he stressed. “We are fighting every day for that and we a