Notre Dame Cathedral is hosting its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019, a moment that transcends religious significance to become a powerful symbol of the resilience of Paris.
For Catholics, it marks the revival of the city’s spiritual heart, a place where faith has been nurtured for centuries. For the world, it signals the rebirth of one of world heritage’s most famous landmarks.
Archbishop Laurent Ulrich is presiding over the Mass, including consecrating a new bronze altar.
The liturgy is being attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, clergy, dignitaries and guests, but is closed to the general public.
Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world are taking part, along with one priest from each of the parishes in the Paris diocese and one priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic churches, accompanied by worshippers from these communities.
It is a milestone in Notre Dame’s journey from ruin to resurrection – a process defined by extraordinary craftsmanship, nearly £800,000,000 in global donations and an unyielding determination to rebuild what seemed lost.
Public viewing areas along the Seine are expected to draw thousands more who wish to witness the historic moment from afar.
Nathalie Martino, a retired event organiser visiting Paris to see family, recalled the anguish of watching the cathedral burn.
Clergy members wait before the inaugural Mass begins (Alessandra Tarantino/pool/AP)
“I cried so much that day,” she said. “And now, here I am. I had to come. It was something I needed to do.”
Later on Sunday, an evening Mass will welcome members of the public who secured reservations last week.
Sunday’s Masses follow Saturday evening’s ceremonial reopening in which Archbishop Ulrich symbolically reopened the cathedral’s massive wooden doors by striking them three times with a crosier crafted from charred beams salvaged from the fire. As the doors swung open, choirs filled the cathedral with song and the cathedral’s great organ – silent since the fire – resounded with majestic melodies.
Inside, the restoration reveals a cathedral transformed with now-gleaming limestone walls cleaned of centuries of grime. The restored stained-glass windows project dazzling patterns of colour across the nave.
“No-one alive has seen the cathedral like this,” said the Rev Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, Notre Dame’s rector. “It is more than restored – it is reborn.”