Two-day celebration to begin with an address by the French president, five years after fire damaged Paris cathedral
Tonight’s reopening ceremony comes days after the French government’s historic collapse plunged France into political turmoil.
My colleague Angelique Chrisafis penned this dispatch earlier this week, delving into the sharp contrast between the reopening of Notre Dame and the political chaos that has gripped the country:Some of tonight’s 1,500 guests begin to arrive at the cathedral
Dignitaries from around the world have been invited to tonight’s ceremony, including the US president-elect, Donald Trump, America’s first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
About 1,500 guests are slated to attend the ceremony under the soaring Gothic arches of Notre Dame, hinting at Macron’s efforts to turn the celebration into a fully fledged diplomatic event.
Here are a few photos from the wires as guests begin to arrive:
Oliver Wainwright, the Guardian’s architecture and design critic, was given early access to the restored cathedral. Here’s his take:
With France plunged into political turmoil, and president Emmanuel Macron’s approval ratings at an all time low, the country might be thankful to have a distraction of epic proportions this weekend. All eyes will be on Notre Dame, as Paris prepares to unveil the interior of its hallowed cathedral, “the soul of France” finally resurrected following a meticulous five-year, €700m (£582m) restoration.
The herculean project has seen 2,000 oak trees gathered from forests across France, hewn into beams with axes and pegged into great trusses by hand using medieval tools. It has witnessed over a thousand cubic metres of limestone being hauled into place, chiselled into leaping arches and gurning gargoyles, as well as 4,000 square metres of lead, rolled, crimped and moulded into ornamental roofing. It has also been the stage for a celebrity wallet-waving spectacle, seeing French luxury goods billionaires racing to outdo each other in the size of their donations – reaching almost €900m (£749m) just two days after the fire, endowing the cathedral with a substantial maintenance kitty for years to come.
