Politics
NEW: Trump Is Traveling To Paris For Re-Opening Of Notre Dame Cathedral
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he will be joining French President Emmanuel Macron for the re-opening of the iconic Notre Dame cathedral, which was devastated by a fire in April 2019.
“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” the president-elect wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday evening. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”
YOURS FREE: Claim Your ‘Trump Victory’ Coin NOW!
The iconic cathedral is set to re-open on December 8, a little more than five years after the fire. Investigators have never determined an official cause of the blaze, though they have stated that they believe it was an accident and have no reason to expect foul play.
On Friday, the world received a first look at the years-long restoration project, which has been worked on by teams of world renowned engineers, architects and artists from France and around the globe. The renovations have cost $800 million to date, while the project is expected to continue for a number of years after the official re-opening.
Macron traveled to the cathedral on Friday in order to take a full tour ahead of the December 8 re-opening. “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,” Macron wrote said in an essay ahead of his visit.
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.
In 2019, Parisians and tourists looked on in horror as the building’s iconic wooden roof — which was built from Europe’s ancient forests and contained world famous Christian relics/artwork — was engulfed in flames. The building’s picturesque spire was also lost after firefighters opted to abandon the roof and spire in order to preserve the structure.
Five years later, the spire once again features prominently on the Paris skyline after restoration teams worked around the clock in order to meet an ambitious five-year deadline.
“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.”
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 sacred Mass the following day.
(BREAKING: Gold’s Bull Market Is Just Getting Started. Don’t Get Left Out)
