INCREDIBLE pictures have revealed the first look inside the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral that is set to rise from the ashes today.
The 860-year-old Gothic landmark was almost destroyed by a devastating inferno five years ago.
Following a lengthy restoration lasting over five years and with a price tag of £600 million, the magnificent French landmark is now fully restored and open to visitors once more.
Work has included the total reconstruction of the collapsed fan-vaulted roof and spire, while builders unearthed previously unseen treasures from the smoking ruin.
Some 1200 oaks from across France were needed to completely rebuild this framework of the nave and the choir, said Rémy Fromont, chief architect of historic monuments in France.
In the immediate aftermath of the inferno, Mr Macron promised the church would be restored “more beautiful than ever” within five years.
This pledge was kept thanks to millions in donations and hundreds of specialist artisans using age-old skills.
And much of it has been donated by French billionaires.
Bernard Arnault, who runs LVMH luxury goods conglomerate, donated almost £100million alone.
Companies such as Apple and Disney also offered donations to bring the Cathedral back to its former glory.
French President Emmanuel Macron toured the fully restored ruin as cameras were allowed in for the first time after the rebuilding project.
Hailing a restoration costing at least £600million on Friday, Mr Macron walked around Notre Dame with his wife, Brigitte Macron, and said “She is back”.
He paid tribute to those who had restored “a great symbol of France” that is loved and venerated the world over.
Mr Macron also offered “all our thanks” to 1300 workers who contributed to the restoration, and, in turn, they clapped for him.
It was on April 15 2019, that millions around the world looked on in horror as flames tore through the building.
Dramatic drone pictures showed the devastation caused by the savage blaze which destroyed the church’s spire and much of its Gothic roof.
Ancient artefacts were destroyed, along with most of the wood and metal roof, along with the landmark spire.
Fire chiefs said the two towers and the main structure of the cathedral had been saved by 400 heroic firefighters after they battled long into the night.
The exact cause of the blaze was never established, but investigators believed it to be accidental, started by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system.
Emmanuel Gregoire, the deputy mayor of Paris, said the cathedral had suffered “colossal damages” and that emergency workers fought hard to salvage the art and other priceless pieces stored inside.
Among the most precious is a relic venerated as the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ – considered Paris’s equivalent of the Crown Jewels – and its three stained-glass rose windows.
Five years after a devastating blaze threatened to destroy the ancient place of worship, it is set to reopen to the public next week.
Mr Macron will attend a Mass at the Cathedral next Saturday – December 7 – then the building officially reopens.
Entry to the Cathedral will remain free, and visitors will need to book a dedicated time slot through an online ticketing system.
Before the fire, some 12 million people visited Notre Dame every year, and the number is expected to soar in 2025.
Our Lady of Paris: A history of Notre Dame
NOTRE Dame was one of the world’s most iconic buildings before the fire.
- One of the city’s oldest and most recognisable buildings, work began on Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in 1163.
- The original structure was completed nearly 200 years later, in 1345, and its name literally translates to “Our Lady of Paris”.
- Some 13 million people now visit the Catholic landmark every year – more than 30,000 every day on average.
- It is believed to be the most visited structure in the French capital.
- The first stone of the original structure was laid in front of Pope Alexander III after the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, proposed the cathedral after his election in 1160.
- It grew iconic in popular culture through several artistic works, including the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was published in 1831 and adapted by Disney in 1996.
- The spire, which collapsed during the devastating fire, has undergone several changes in the building’s history.
- The 13th century spire was dismantled during the French Revolution and later rebuilt in the 1860s.
- The cathedral’s stained glass rose windows – at least one of which has been destroyed by the blaze – are also some of its most architecturally significant features.
- A brass plate set in stone outside the building also marks “Point Zero” in Paris, the centre of the city.
- It is the point in France from where all distances to Paris are measured.
- A message engraved around the stone reads: “Point zero des routes de France”.
