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Photos: Notre Dame Cathedral reopens, with its first service since a devastating fire

By James Doubek,
Eleanor Beardsley, Nicole Werbeck
Published December 7, 2024 at 6:19 PM EST
The choir, clergy and guests stand as they sing during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral, in central Paris, on Saturday.
Ludovic Marin
/
AFP/Getty Images
The choir, clergy and guests stand as they sing during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral, in central Paris, on Saturday.

The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral rang on Saturday evening in Paris for the first time since a fire devastated the Paris landmark in 2019.

Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich began the ceremony by knocking three times on the cathedral's door with his staff, called a crozier, which was made from one of the burned beams of the cathedral's roof.

The ceremony to mark the cathedral's return to religious services was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and hundreds of dignitaries, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, first lady Jill Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the U.K.'s Prince William.

The cathedral's restoration and return to service after five years has been a success for Macron, who has had recent political difficulties.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Firefighters, rescuers and builders involved in the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral parade during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the landmark cathedral, in central Paris, on Saturday.
Ludovic Marin / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Firefighters, rescuers and builders involved in the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral parade during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the landmark cathedral, in central Paris, on Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Notre Dame Cathedral as France's iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the landmark in 2019.
Ludovic Marin / AP
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AP
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Notre Dame Cathedral as France's iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the landmark in 2019.
Spectators gather outside France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday in Paris for its formal reopening.
Alessandra Tarantino / AP
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AP
Spectators gather outside France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday in Paris for its formal reopening.
Part of bas-relief outside of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29.
Stephane de Sakutin / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Part of bas-relief outside of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29.
The tabernacle designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet is pictured in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29.
Stephane de Sakutin / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
The tabernacle designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet is pictured in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (second from left) and his wife Brigitte Macron (third from left) stand as the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich (center), walks to the doors of Notre Dame Cathedral during a ceremony to mark the reopening on Saturday.
Christophe Petit Tesson / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (second from left) and his wife Brigitte Macron (third from left) stand as the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich (center), walks to the doors of Notre Dame Cathedral during a ceremony to mark the reopening on Saturday.
Customers sit inside a restaurant next to France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, hours before formally reopening its doors on Saturday.
Bernat Armangue / AP
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AP
Customers sit inside a restaurant next to France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, hours before formally reopening its doors on Saturday.
This photograph shows the inside of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29.
Stephane de Sakutin / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
This photograph shows the inside of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29.
Spectators gather outside France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday in Paris for its formal reopening.
Louise Delmotte / AP
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AP
Spectators gather outside France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday in Paris for its formal reopening.
Pedestrians pass by the security barriers and fences placed around the Notre Dame Cathedral on the eve ahead of its official reopening, on Friday.
Julien de Rosa / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Pedestrians pass by the security barriers and fences placed around the Notre Dame Cathedral on the eve ahead of its official reopening, on Friday.
This combination of pictures shows the Western Rose window of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024 (left) and on Nov. 30, 2012 (right).
Stephane de Sakutin and Patrick Kovarik / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
This combination of pictures shows the Western Rose window of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024 (left) and on Nov. 30, 2012 (right).
This combination of pictures shows the nave of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024 (top) and on June 28, 2017 (bottom).
Sarah Meyssonnier and Martin Bureau / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
This combination of pictures shows the nave of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024 (top) and on June 28, 2017 (bottom).
This combination of pictures shows rubble and the cross at the altar inside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris a month after it sustained major fire, on May 15, 2019 (top), and the tabernacle designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet on Nov. 29, 2024.
Philippe Lopez and Stephane de Sakutin / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
This combination of pictures shows rubble and the cross at the altar inside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris a month after it sustained major fire, on May 15, 2019 (top), and the tabernacle designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet on Nov. 29, 2024.
The nave of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024 (right) and on June 28, 2017 (left).
Martin Bureau and Sarah Meyssonnier / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
The nave of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024 (right) and on June 28, 2017 (left).
The choir stalls of Notre Dame on June 26, 2018 (top) and on Nov. 29, 2024 (bottom).
Ludovic Marin and Stephane de Sakutin / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
The choir stalls of Notre Dame on June 26, 2018 (top) and on Nov. 29, 2024 (bottom).
The choir stalls of Notre Dame are shown on Nov. 29.
Stephane de Sakutin / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
The choir stalls of Notre Dame are shown on Nov. 29.
This photograph shows the Crown of Thorns inside the reliquary of the Crown of Thorns, designed by French Artist Sylvain Dubuisson, on Nov. 29.
Stephane de Sakutin / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
This photograph shows the Crown of Thorns inside the reliquary of the Crown of Thorns, designed by French Artist Sylvain Dubuisson, on Nov. 29.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a visit to Notre Dame on Nov. 29.
Sarah Meyssonnier / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a visit to Notre Dame on Nov. 29.
People watch the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral burning in central Paris on April 15, 2019.
Nicolas Liponne / NurPhoto via Getty Images
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NurPhoto via Getty Images
People watch the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral burning in central Paris on April 15, 2019.
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James Doubek
James Doubek is an associate editor and reporter for NPR. He frequently covers breaking news for NPR.org and NPR's hourly newscast. In 2018, he reported feature stories for NPR's business desk on topics including electric scooters, cryptocurrency, and small business owners who lost out when Amazon made a deal with Apple.
See stories by James Doubek
Eleanor Beardsley
Eleanor Beardsley began reporting from France for NPR in 2004 as a freelance journalist, following all aspects of French society, politics, economics, culture and gastronomy. Since then, she has steadily worked her way to becoming an integral part of the NPR Europe reporting team.
See stories by Eleanor Beardsley
Nicole Werbeck
See stories by Nicole Werbeck

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