Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral Reopened After A Fire 5 Years Ago

UNSPLASH/Haut Risque ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral reopened its doors on Saturday, 5.5 years after being engulfed by a devastating fire that destroyed the top of its towers and roofs and destroyed all Gotik masterpieces in a matter of minutes.

The 860-year-old medieval cathedral, the symbols of France and Paris, has been carefully stripped, with new towertops and ribs, flying supports and carved stone gargoyles back to past glory and white rock and gold decorations shining brighter than ever before.

On the night of April 15, 2019, Parisians witnessed the top of the tower and the roof of the cathedral collapsing in the raging fire that threatened the main bell tower and the entire building, which almost avoided destruction.

The world was shaken that day, said French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the opening ceremony on Saturday, December 7.

"The shock due to this reopening I am sure and want to believe it will be as strong as the impact of the fire, but this will be a surprise in the form of hope," he added.

Macron, which has been weakened by a deep political crisis at home, will have the opportunity to forget the misery when he welcomes US President-elect Donald Trump, Britain's Prince William and dozens of heads of state and government including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the opening ceremony to begin around 7 p.m. local time.

On Friday evening, Macron's offices and Paris' Diocese said strong winds would force the celebration to be held entirely inside the cathedral. Macron was originally expected to deliver a speech on the outside.