From Paris for the "Vremena" portal: Under the arches of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Emmanuel Macron brought Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William and 50 other statesmen from around the world, but the appearance of Elon Musk caused the greatest interest
It took more than 200 years to build, only a few hours to burn down and five years to be renovated. On December 7, the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris opened its doors for the first time since a devastating fire in 2019 that almost destroyed this symbol of Paris and France and one of the most famous churches in the world.
The word "merci" ("thank you") was projected on the facade of the Paris cathedral as a sign of gratitude to all those who participated in the restoration of that 860-year-old, badly damaged building.
Instead of the ceremony in the square in front of the cathedral, due to the strong winds predicted for Saturday night in Paris, the Elysée Palace and the Paris Archdiocese announced at the last moment that the entire ceremony will be held inside Notre Dame. Probably in fear of repeating the bad luck with the rain that they had on July 26 at the opening of the Summer Olympics.
Organization
Unlike the excellent seven-day cultural heritage tour for us four journalists from around the world (Argentina, Germany, USA and Serbia) organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Elysée Palace, which was in charge of the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame, did not really celebrate .
From the part of the city south of the Seine, it was impossible to cross any bridge to the scene. They walked us from one to another, the policemen don't speak English, there is no one from the organization you can ask, everyone just shakes their head, neat credentials and wristbands didn't help. After an hour of walking from Pont Saint-Michel via Pont Neuf to Petit Pont Cardinal Lustiger (at least I learned their names), I don't know how or why, but a policewoman took pity and let me go to the island in the Seine where the famous cathedral is located.
I sat in the press section which had "supervisors" in charge of admonishing you not to get up (when everyone else in the church is getting up), not to film (when everyone else in the church is filming) and the like. Of course, before the start of the official event at 19.00:XNUMX p.m., I went from that "ban" to the place where Macron, Trump, Prince William and other statesmen were later sitting.
Firemen
Firefighters who helped save the masterpiece of Gothic architecture and those who later restored it received a standing ovation from the audience after Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich struck the door of Notre Dame three times with his scepter to open it.
"I express before you the gratitude of the French nation, our gratitude to all who saved and rebuilt the cathedral," French President Emmanuel Macron said in his short speech.
"Tonight we can share joy and pride together." Long live Paris Notre Dame, long live the Republic and long live France!"
Guests
Macron welcomed guests in front of the cathedral, including the newly elected US President Donald Trump, who came without his wife Melania. Prince William didn't take Princess Kate either. The French journalists who were sitting around me commented rather sarcastically on Donald Trump's facial expressions while he was looking at the interior of the cathedral, and they were even more amused by the millionaire Elon Musk who was also among those present and the camera often "hooked" him, which we could see on the screens lined up along the walls of Notre Dame.
Pope Francis said this is a day of "joy, celebration and praise". In a message read aloud, the Pope expressed the hope that "the restoration of this stunning church will be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France." Namely, France is a country that is at the top of European countries when it comes to the percentage of atheists in the general population. As many as 51% of the inhabitants declare that they do not belong to any church, 29% are Catholics, 10% are Muslims...
Besides the firefighters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received the biggest applause. Bringing Trump and Zelensky to the opening and arranging a meeting between the two at the Elysee Palace ahead of the opening ceremony was a major success for Macron, who is facing a political crisis at home after parliament voted to impeach his prime minister.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and former French presidents Hollande and Sarkozy were among the guests. Serbia, which donated a million euros to repair the church as soon as the fire was heard, was represented at Notre Dame by Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, while Croatia was represented at the opening ceremony by the Minister of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen Koržinek (although the arrival of President Zoro Milanović was announced). In addition to Trump, the USA was also represented by Jill Biden, the current First Lady. There were a little more than 1.500 of us in the famous Paris cathedral.
Donori
By the way, the first stone of Notre Dame was laid in 1163 and construction lasted for most of the next century, with significant restorations and additions in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the fire, a lot of money poured into the restoration of Notre Dame from all over the world, more than 840 million euros, which is certainly the largest figure collected for the restoration of a cultural property.
The 8.000-pipe organ was carefully restored and cleaned of toxic lead dust during the restoration, and four organists played at the opening ceremony. Their sound that filled the interior of the temple is truly awe-inspiring.
Today, Sunday, Archbishop Ulrich will lead the first mass and consecrate the cathedral's new altar, designed by the contemporary artist Guillaume Barde, as a replacement for the altar destroyed in the fire. Almost 170 bishops from France and abroad will attend the mass, along with priests from all 113 parishes of the Paris archdiocese.
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