On Friday, November 29, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, which has been closed since a major fire in 2019.

This was reported by CNN.

The ceremony, marking the completion of the restoration, was attended by the President's wife, Brigitte Macron, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich.

It was noted that during the extensive restoration, which lasted over 5 years, builders replaced the vaulted ceilings, repaired the roof, and rebuilt the nave (the longitudinal part of the building leading to the altar). Notably, the nave of the cathedral has been rebuilt for the fourth time since 1182.

Over 1,600 tons of scaffolding were required for the overall restoration of Notre-Dame. More than 1,000 cubic meters of stone were used to restore the walls, and 1,200 oak trees were utilized for repairing the framework of the nave and roof.

Carpenters employed 13th-century techniques to restore the structural integrity of the beams. Additionally, the wood was treated in the same manner as in the Middle Ages—while still green, it was hewn with a hand axe and then left to dry.

It is also known that during the reconstruction of the cathedral's central part, workers discovered tombs that had not been previously known.

A key feature of the renovated cathedral is the 96-meter spire, which was specially designed to be fire-resistant and corrosion-resistant.

In the final part of the tour, Macron inspected the grand organ, which was damaged by lead dust during the 2019 fire. The organ measures 12 meters wide and 10 meters high, containing over 8,000 pipes.

In total, more than 700 million euros were spent on the restoration of the famous cathedral. The official reopening of Notre-Dame will take place on December 7, with the first public mass scheduled for the following day.

It is worth recalling that a major fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral occurred on April 15, 2019. Due to the intense flames, the spire and roof of Notre-Dame collapsed. In September 2021, reports indicated that work on reinforcing the vaults had been completed. This allowed for the restoration of the entire building to commence.

Overall, the restoration project was so extensive that the French parliament passed a special law regarding the organization and coordination of all the work.