First pictures!

Macron visits restored Notre-Dame

(Bild: AFP/Christophe Petit Tesson)

Just over a week before the official opening, Emmanuel Macron visited the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Friday. "It's great," said the French President as he entered the church together with Parisian Archbishop Ulrich Laurent and Culture Minister Rachida Dati.

"It looks much friendlier with the light-colored walls," he said, looking at the sandstone, which has been freed from the dirt and soot of centuries. It was also the first time since the fire in 2019 that the public had been given an insight into the Gothic masterpiece, which had been cleaned and restored from top to bottom.

"I remember it as if it were yesterday, when the lead was still dripping," said Macron, recalling the fire disaster. The day after, Macron had declared that he wanted to rebuild the cathedral within five years, "more beautiful than before".

(Bild: AFP/Christophe Petit Tesson)

"It's great," said the French president (pictured with his wife and construction manager Philippe Jost) when he visited the cathedral.

(Bild: AFP/Stephane de Sakutin)

(Bild: AFP/Christophe Petit Tesson)

Old techniques, new technologies
"It's a combination of traditions. As close as possible to ancestral techniques, plus 21st century technology, with the use of digital models to rebuild all these vaults," said site manager Philippe Jost, who is coordinating the reconstruction of the destroyed cathedral.

During the two-hour visit, Macron also thanked the numerous craftsmen and women who were involved in the restoration. "They worked with all their hearts," he said. The whole of France can be proud of it.

Roof truss rebuilt true to the original
Macron also visited the roof truss, which had been completely burnt down and rebuilt true to the original using medieval craftsmanship and tools. More than 1000 oak trees from all over the country were used for the roof truss.