Howling winds couldn’t stop Notre Dame’s heart from beating again.
With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a crosier carved from fire-scorched beams, the cathedral roared back to life Saturday evening. For the first time since a blaze engulfed it in 2019, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship.
Unusually fierce December winds whipping across the Île de la Cité, flanked by the River Seine, forced all the events inside. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendor. Inside the nave, choirs sang psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ thundered back to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.
The evening’s celebration, attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, underscored Notre Dame’s role as spiritual and cultural beacon. For President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious restoration timeline, it was a rare moment of unity amid profound political crises and threats to his presidential legacy.
Amid global unrest, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, the cathedral’s resurrection emerged as a symbol of resilience and unity.
“Notre Dame is not just a French monument — it is a magnificent sign of hope,” said its rector, the Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas. “What seemed impossible has become possible.”
Ukrainian pastor Andriy Morkvas, attending his first Mass at Notre Dame in more than a decade, found hope in the cathedral’s rebirth. “God is powerful; he can change things,” he said. “I hope Notre Dame and Mary will help resolve our conflict.”
Guests entered through Notre Dame’s iconic western façade, whose arched portals adorned with biblical carvings were once a visual guide for medieval believers. Above the central Portal of the Last Judgment, the Archangel Michael is depicted weighing souls, as demons attempt to tip the scales.
In the restoration, more than 50,000 square yards of stonework — an area equal to six soccer fields — were cleaned, revealing luminous limestone and intricate carvings long cloaked in soot. Above the nave, 2,000 oak beams, nicknamed “the forest,” were used to rebuild the spire and roof, restoring the cathedral’s iconic silhouette.
The ceremony began with Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors, tapping them three times with his fire-scarred crosier.
A prerecorded concert featured luminaries such as pianist Lang Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and soprano Pretty Yende. Their performances offered a message of harmony, celebrating the cathedral’s role as a sanctuary of faith and art.
Personal stories of faith punctuated the evening. Huguette Euphrasie, attending with her cancer-stricken mother, gazed at the cathedral’s illuminated towers. “It has huge spiritual value for me,” she said. “It’s very moving.”
For Patricia and Cyrille Brenner, who traveled overnight from Cannes, the reopening felt like a pilgrimage. “The fire was a call to renew our faith,” Cyrille said.
For Macron, the reopening offered a rare reprieve from political turmoil. Just days earlier, his government collapsed in a historic no-confidence vote, plunging France into uncertainty.
The achievement of restoring Notre Dame within five years — a timeline dismissed as overly ambitious by many — was a political win for Macron. Macron described the reopening as “a jolt of hope.”
Security was tight, with police vans and soldiers in body armor patrolling embankments, while a special detail followed President-elect Donald Trump. Public viewing areas along the Seine accommodated 40,000 spectators, who watched the ceremonies unfold on large screens.
After the reopening, the cathedral is expected to welcome 15 million visitors annually, up from 12 million before the fire.
As the evening drew to a close, the cathedral stood as a testament to what collective will and faith can achieve.
“It’s the soul of Paris,” Dumas said. “And tonight, its heart beats again.”
Adamson and Leicester write for the Associated Press. AP journalists Sylvie Corbet, Yesica Brumec, Marine Lesprit and Mark Carlson in Paris contributed to this report.