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Struck by a devastating fire in 2019, Notre-Dame has now been undergoing renovation for five years. For five years, Parisians and tourists from all over the world have had to be patient before seeing the cathedral finally renovated. If all goes well, in 6 months’ time, it should finally reopen to the public. Discover 5 things you need to know about this long-awaited reopening.
1 – You’ll need to book your visit online
Yes, as you may have guessed, Notre-Dame is likely to get a lot of visitors when it reopens. To facilitate this, you’ll need to book online. All you need to do is book your time slot 1 or 2 days in advance. You can book by the hour or half-hour, as you wish. If you can’t make a reservation, don’t panic! You can still enter the cathedral. But you’ll just have to be patient. Good to know: single people, the faithful and visitors will be able to admire Notre-Dame. But groups will have to wait until Whitsun 2025. Notre-Dame can accommodate around 2,500 people.
2 – An application will be launched to make your visit easier
To help you make the most of your visit, an application is about to be launched! Downloadable on Android and Apple, it should be available next autumn. Paper guides will also be distributed to all visitors to learn more about this major religious building.
3 – The direction of travel and signage will be changed
That’s right! With its new look, Notre-Dame will offer a whole new way to visit. The left-to-right route takes in 10 points of interest, with an educational angle accessible to all. Regular visitors to the cathedral will also notice new signage.
4 – New chairs and liturgical furnishings
Consumed by the flames, Notre-Dame’s furnishings will be restored to their former glory as soon as they open. New solid oak chairs from Sologne will be installed in the cathedral. By June, 700 of them had already been completed! In all, the cathedral will have 1,500 new chairs! As much as before the fire.
The liturgical furnishings, which include the baptistery, altar, ambo, tabernacle, cathedra and altar, will also change. They were all cast in bronze at the Barthélémy Art foundry in the Drôme region of France. It’s the first time such a material has entered Notre-Dame! The sacred vessels, meanwhile, will be crafted in gold by the Atelier d’orfèvrerie Marischael.
5 – The crown of thorns will be installed in a brand new showcase
This sacred relic, so important to believers, nearly succumbed to the flames. Fortunately, this is not the case! To enhance and protect the crown of thorns, a new reliquary has been designed. Made of cedar wood (like Christ’s cross) and set with bronze thorns, this sublime openwork reliquary, almost 4 m high, will blend perfectly into the décor without distorting the setting.