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On April 15, 2019, a structural fire broke out in the roof space of Notre-Dame de Paris, the iconic medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris, France. Like the rest of the world, I remember watching in disbelief as the beautiful building went up in flames.
The fire destroyed the cathedral’s wooden spire and most of the wooden roof, and severely damaged the cathedral’s upper walls. The vaulted stone ceiling largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed, preventing extensive damage to the interior. While many works of art and religious relics were moved to safety, others suffered smoke damage, and some of the exterior art was damaged or destroyed.
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The cathedral was closed immediately, and two days after the blaze, French president Emmanuel Macron set a five-year deadline to restore it. For the first time since 1803, Notre-Dame did not hold a Christmas Mass in 2019.
Notre-Dame re-opened on Dec. 7, 2024, and Old Mission Peninsula resident Dave Kelley — henceforth to be known as Old Mission Gazette’s foreign correspondent — sent me some photos while visiting the cathedral. He said that Monday, Dec. 16, was the first day anyone could go in without a reservation, and he was in the first group to gain access to the building without a special pass.
“There is a line that forms every morning about 7:45 a.m. and extends around the building for at least 500 yards,” said Dave. “However, the traffic moves quickly through the doors with a very efficient security system.”
He said the inside looks like a new church, even though it was built more than 800 years ago.
“The famous rose windows look incredible, as they have been totally cleaned and restored along with every other window in the cathedral. Every painting, every statue, every Alterbeast has been meticulously cleaned and crafted and re-made if necessary, using the same tools and materials as was done in the 1100s.”
He added, “The lighting is incredible and shows off what was once a dark and foreboding interior and turns it into a beautiful cathedral with wonderful designs and massive pillars that support a roof that has been totally reconstructed from the fire.”
Thanks so much, Dave, for this special dispatch from Notre-Dame and your amazing photos that bring the restoration of this historic building to all of us on the Old Mission Peninsula.
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
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Thanks for the views! It is incredible to see the interior without the dirt of centuries.