The Latest: The famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens to great fanfare
Notre Dame is reopening its doors for the first time since a fire five years ago nearly destroyed the beloved 12th-century cathedral
By AP News
Published - Dec 07, 2024, 03:26 PM ET
Last Updated - Dec 16, 2024, 05:03 PM EST
PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame is reopening its doors for the first time since a fire in 2019 nearly destroyed Paris' beloved 12th-century cathedral.
World leaders — including President-elect Donald Trump, America’s first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — gathered Saturday among more than 2,500 guests to celebrate the restoration of the landmark widely considered to be a pinnacle of French architectural heritage.
Saturday's events started with Archbishop Laurent Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors with three resounding knocks.
Following the 2019 fire, nearly $1 billion in donations poured in from around the world, a tribute to its worldwide appeal.
