Notre Dame Primps for Its Grand Post-Blaze Return. But Why Does the Cathedral Look Unfinished?

Five years is short for Notre Dame

In truth, Notre Dame has been a building site for years – even before the fire. Scaffolding was already in place in 2019 for a previous restoration effort that wasn't completed because of the April 15 blaze. That structure of melted, twisted metal then had to be cut away before rebuilding could even begin.

Some of the worst damage was to the medieval monument's roof and its dense latticework of wooden beams, so complicated that it was nicknamed "the forest." The flames also brought down the spire, sending charred debris into the cathedral's interior.

Architecture experts say the pace of restoration has been remarkable, particularly given the constraints of 21st-century safety regulations and the need for historical accuracy.

Historians also urge patience, reminding critics that Notre Dame's original construction spanned nearly 200 years, beginning in 1163.

"Notre Dame's reconstruction is a sign of hope for everyone," Rev. Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, the cathedral rector, has said.

COVID pandemic delays

Initial hopes for a full restoration by 2024 dimmed after the COVID-19 pandemic slowed work. The late General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the former reconstruction chief, tempered expectations in 2023, saying the reopening would be "partial."

Macron's office frames the restoration as a triumph for French can-do, likening it to other national milestones such as the Paris Olympics.

His tour of the monument on Friday will be his seventh since the fire.

Presidential officials say he'll see gleaming white finishes of restored stonework, vaults rebuilt with precision to their original 13th-century design, and the once-again radiant golden cross at the altar.

Murals, including those in the Saint-Marcel Chapel, are as vibrantly colorful again as when first painted and sculptures of Louis XIII and XIV glisten with refreshed colors, they say.

The grand reopening

After a Dec. 7 ceremony where Macron will give a speech on the cathedral forecourt, an inaugural mass the next day will signal its return to public life.

The public will be welcomed until 10 p.m. during the first week, with free, ticketed entry. Liturgical life then resume in full from Dec. 16.

The Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, expects Notre Dame will quickly surpass its pre-blaze visitor numbers. He is bracing for 15 million visitors annually -- seemingly confident that for most, the work that's unfinished won't be a cardinal disappointment.