The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is set to reopen to visitors beginning Dec. 8, more than five years after an accidental fire destroyed the roof’s iconic 12th-century spires and interior.
Visited by more than 12 million people a year before the fire, the Notre Dame Cathedral had not had major repairs since the mid-1800s, according to the nonprofit Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Reconstruction began in 2022 after a two-year “safety phase” to get the monument stable enough for workers. The restoration project raised $1 billion in pledged donations, with around $148 million remaining for future preservation, as of this month.
Here’s a timeline of the repairs to restore the 861-year-old Gotchic-era landmark to its beauty.
Fire breaks out at Notre Dame Cathedral
Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on April 15, 2019, in the French capital Paris. (Fabien Barrau/AFP via Getty Images)
April 15, 2019: A fire erupted in the upper part of the cathedral, causing extensive damage to the wooden roof, upper walls and wooden spires. Many of the art and religious artifacts were moved to safety, though some suffered smoke damage.
Officials at the time said the exact cause of the fire was unknown, but they believed either a short electrical circuit or a cigarette could have sparked the flames.
Its stained-glass windows were spared, and no one died.
April 17, 2019: French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to have the site rebuilt in five years, The Associated Press reported.
Preparation for rebuilding begins
One of the carpenters puts the skills of their medieval colleagues on show on the plaza in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
April 2019 – August 2021: The first step was the safety phase in which experts conducted assessments to determine the damage’s extent and to secure the area to prevent further damage.
A team of scaffolders, rope technicians, aerial platform workers and crane operators worked to remove the wooden spire at the top of the building, which weighed 200 tons and dangled over 300 feet high, threatening to collapse into the cathedral.
Then, workers had to build a scaffolding structure inside to protect the vaults and supportive framework.
This $197 million safety phase also included installing tarps above the vaults to protect them from rain and lead decontamination as well as wrapping and protecting gargoyles.
June 2020: The pandemic halted work for a few months, but teams were still on track for their five-year timeline.
August 2020: Restoration of the 8,000-pipe organ began. The artifact survived the fire but was covered in toxic lead dust, according to the AP.
Notre Dame reconstruction begins
A crane lifts a part of the new roof of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, Thursday, May 25, 2023, near Angers, western France. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Schaeffer)
Once the site was secure enough, reconstruction began in 2022.
Spring 2022: Glassmakers and locksmiths began cleaning and restoring the stained-glass windows.
August 2023: Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who was appointed to oversee the project, unexpectedly died. President Macron praised him as the “greatest soldier.”
December 2023: A golden rooster, resembling a phoenix with religious relics, was placed atop the cathedral’s spire, symbolizing the monument’s rebirth. The rooster is also a national emblem of France and a symbol of Christianity.
The cross and the rooster atop the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral spire, Thursday, March 14, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
February 2024: The wooden spire was completed. “This achievement allowed the iconic silhouette of the spire to once again grace the Paris skyline, offering a glimpse of the cathedral’s future grandeur,” said Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris on its website.
March 8, 2024: The final trusses were installed on the roof of the nave, which is the central, largest space of the cathedral where religious services are held.
May 24, 2024: The Croix du Chevet was reinstalled. The iconic cross was the only piece of the cathedral that did not burn, according to the AP.
Notre Dame de Paris cathedral’s Croix du Chevet is lifted before its reinstallation, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Paris. The Croix du Chevet is the only piece of the cathedral roof that did not burn in the devastating April 2019 fire. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
September 2024: Eight historic bells from the cathedral’s north tower were reinstalled after they were cleaned and renovated.
Nov. 7, 2024: Three new bells were delivered, one of which was used in the city’s Stade de France stadium during this year’s Paris Olympic Games. They will be placed above the altar and rung during Mass.
A bell, center, that Olympic medalists rang at the Paris Games, is seen before being installed in Notre Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument’s grandiose reopening following a massive fire and five-year reconstruction effort, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Nov. 15, 2024: A famed statue of the Virgin Mary and child with white flowers at its base returned to the cathedral after being moved to a nearby church following the fire. Hundreds of people held candles during a procession through the streets of Paris to commemorate the event.
A replica of the Virgin Mary statue is carried from Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois church to Notre-Dame Cathedral during a procession, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Notre Dame Cathedral reopens
Nov. 29, 2024: President Macron conducts a final visit to the cathedral ahead of its reopening. His two-hour tour will be televised live.
Dec. 8, 2024: The Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen to the public for the first time since the fire with its first Mass. The day falls in line with the holiday the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
