Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Paris on Friday, holding candles and singing hymns, as they escorted the famed statue of the Virgin Mary and child back to Notre-Dame Cathedral. The statue, temporarily relocated to a nearby church after the devastating 2019 fire, marked its symbolic return ahead of the cathedral’s reopening next month. Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich blessed the statue during the procession, surrounded by white flowers.
“The world will find again this place of refuge, this invitation to contemplate and hope,” Ulrich said. Notre-Dame to reopen after years of restoration Notre-Dame Cathedral, an iconic Parisian landmark built between the 12th and 14th centuries, is set to reopen on December 8, 2024, with multiple festivities planned. The reopening follows years of painstaking restoration after a massive fire gutted the structure on April 15, 2019 .
While authorities suspect the blaze was caused by an electrical fault or a cigarette, the exact cause remains unknown . Restoration and funding The cathedral's facade survived the fire , but extensive damage required years of work by 500 workers racing to stabilize and restore the structure. Restoration efforts have cost €550 million ($580 million), funded by public donations and contributions from prominent donors, including luxury sector magnates François-Henri Pinault and the Arnault family.
Officials say the donations have been so significant that surplus funds will be used for further .
