For the first time since the ancient cathedral was destroyed by fire in 2019, the bells of Notre Dame in Paris sounded out this morning, reports RTE.
A month before the cathedral is set to reopen after five years of arduous restoration work following the fire, the eight bells of Notre Dame’s northern belfry rang out.
“This is a beautiful, important, and symbolic step,” said Philippe Jost, head of the public organisation with the difficult mission of renovating the cathedral, reports RTE.
The globe and Parisians watched in horror on the evening of April 19, 2019, as flames destroyed the world-famous monument and ultimately brought down its spire.
The ambitious objective of rebuilding Notre Dame in five years was promptly established by President Emmanuel Macron, reports RTE.
For a repair that cost hundreds of millions of euros, almost 250 businesses and hundreds of professionals were deployed.
Just before 9.30 a.m. Irish time, the eight bells rang in unison after ringing one by one.
“It’s not perfect yet, but we will make it perfect,” said Alexandre Gougeon, who is in charge of the bells’ reinstallation. “This first test was a success,” reports RTE.
The bells had to be taken out, cleansed of dust and lead, and then put back in their designated spot after the 2019 fire damaged a portion of the northern belfry.
“Jean-Marie” is the lightest bell, weighing 800 kilogrammes, while “Gabriel” is the heaviest, weighing nearly four tonnes.
On December 7-8, Notre-Dame will reopen with a weekend of celebrations, reports RTE.
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