Five years after a catastrophic fire nearly destroyed Notre-Dame Cathedral, the iconic landmark is set to reopen to the public on December 8, starting with a mass attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The official reopening will be preceded by a handover ceremony on December 7, in which President Macron will formally transfer stewardship of the cathedral back to the Eglise de France. This milestone event, broadcast globally, will also feature a speech from the president, addressed to the French public and reflecting the country’s secular values.
President Macron plans to visit Notre-Dame twice before the handover. On November 29, he will personally thank the restoration team for their dedicated work on the site, and he will return on December 7 for the official handover to the church, marking the state’s completion of its role in the cathedral’s restoration. Following this event, Notre-Dame will open its doors to the public on December 8, with extended visiting hours until December 14 to accommodate the anticipated influx of visitors.
From December 16 onward, the cathedral will return to its regular operating hours, according to Notre-Dame’s rector Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas.
