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PARIS - The world was reintroduced to Notre Dame Cathedral Saturday when it reopened its doors more than five years after a fire devastated the iconic church.
An invite-only ceremony Saturday ushered in its rebirth, with President-elect Donald Trump, First Lady Jill Biden and dozens of other heads of state and dignitaries attending. Trump met with Macron in Paris Saturday ahead of the ceremony; Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky joined them.
After five years of restoration, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens its doors to the world. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Notre-Dame de Paris)
RELATED: Church bells across the U.S. to ring for Notre Dame’s reopening
In the U.S., Catholic churches nationwide joined in a "gesture of unity" and ring their bells in unison at 2 p.m. Eastern Saturday to mark the cathedral's reopening.
Cathedral roars back to life
Guests stand as Clergy walk down the central isle of Notre-Dame Cathedral during a ceremony to mark the re-opening of the landmark cathedral, in central Paris, on December 7, 2024. (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a staff carved from fire-scorched beams, the cathedral roared back to life Saturday evening.
For the first time since a devastating 2019 blaze, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship, its rebirth marked by song, prayer, and awe beneath its soaring arches.
"Brothers and sisters, let us enter now into Notre Dame," he said as he stood outside, before its closed doors. "It is she who accompanies us on our path to peace."
He then banged on the door three times with the base of his crosier, or bishop’s cross. Inside, the choir erupted into song, the crystalline voices filing what — until recently — had been a building site. Three times, Ulrich appealed to the cathedral to open its doors. Three times, the choir responded in song. He then pushed open the heavy door: Notre Dame’s rebirth was underway.
While the ceremony was initially planned to begin on the forecourt, unusually fierce December winds whipping across the central Paris island, flanked by the River Seine, forced all events inside. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendor. Inside the luminous nave, choirs are singing psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ, silent for nearly five years, is thundering to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.
The congregation inside the huge cathedral was ghostly quiet as its largest bell, the 13-ton Emmanuel, rang out into the Paris night, signaling the start of the ceremony.
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First look inside restored Notre Dame Cathedral after devastating fire
French authorities unveiled footage of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 29, marking five years since it was heavily damaged by a massive fire in 2019. (Credit: Rebatir Notre-Dame de Paris via Storyful)
The evening’s celebration, being attended by 1,500 dignitaries, underscores Notre Dame’s enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon.
Notre Dame Sunday reopening events
Part two, on Sunday, is an inaugural Mass, with special rites to consecrate the main altar.
Nearly 170 bishops from France and other countries will join the celebration, as well as priests from all 106 parishes in the Paris diocese, the cathedral website says.
The facade of Notre Dame de Paris, the day before the reopening, in Paris on December 6, 2024. (Photo by MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
It says Mass will be followed by a "fraternal buffet" for the needy.
Public viewing areas capable of holding 40,000 people will be set up on the Seine’s southern bank, so spectators can follow the two days of events on screens, the police chief said.