First Look At Restored Notre Dame Cathedral Is Revealed Five Years After Devastating Fire

Five years after a devastating fire destroyed the Notre Dame cathedral’s roof and spire, the Paris icon provided the world with a tour of the building’s stunning restorations.

With the cathedral set to re-open to the public and worshippers in just under two weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to the building for a tour on Friday. The visit comes more than five years after a devastating fire destroyed the building’s stunning wooden roof, which was constructed from Europe’s ancient forests and contained world renowned artwork, in 2019.

Notre Dame’s iconic spire was also lost in the blaze, while the building’s interior suffered widespread damage.

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A definitive cause of the blaze has never been established, though officials have blamed it on an “accident” that most likely involved a lit cigarette or an electrical malfunction.

The French government has spent more than $800 million on renovating the cathedral, which is set to re-open on December 7.

“This project was a human adventure of epic proportions in terms of building and prowess, involving the patient and dedicated work of a chain of talents working with one another passing the torch to those of the centuries to come,” wrote said in an essay ahead of his visit.

Macron was joined by his wife, Brigitte, and Laurent Ulrich, the archbishop of Paris, as he toured the building.

Coinciding with the president’s visit, the cathedral released a drone video of the restored interior. The walls have been given a glowing coat of white paint, while interior murals have been restored to their original colors. A new altar and golden cross has also been installed, while the charred oak wood has been replaced entirely, awaiting future art and restoration projects.

The new construction also came with modern fire prevention measures, including fire doors and sprinklers.

While the restoration project will continue for a number of years, a global team of artisans, architects and engineers have readied the building for a December 7 opening.

“It was a challenge many deemed impossible, yet one we will have met on,” Macron said. “This once-in-a-century project has been conducted in extraordinary conditions. It required a collaboration of France’s best experts and specialists.”

Project workers acknowledged that the five-year restoration goal was a tight deadline to fulfill. Macron had promised to commission a quick restoration after nearly $1 billion in donations towards construction efforts poured in from around the world.

Louise Bausiere, who spent the last two years working on the project, shared details on the reconstruction effort in a statement to NBC News. “To make it in five years was hard,” she said. “We had to do it, there was no choice.”

The team “took photos and looked at archives and made it exactly the same,” she added. “The techniques, the visuals, the aesthetics, everything is exactly the same.”

Macron is set to return to Notre Dame on December 7, when he will deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a Mass the following day.

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