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In pictures: First look at Notre Dame’s breathtaking restoration five years after fire

The resurrection of Notre Dame – the treasured Gothic gem in the heart of Paris struck by a devastating fire in 2019 – has been a closely guarded secret. Few had seen the meticulous work of architects, artisans and master craftspeople who have carefully brought the cathedral back to life. Until now.

On Friday, the world got the first glimpses of the revamped UNESCO World Heritage Site as French President Emmanuel Macron carried out his final site visit ahead of its grand reopening on December 7 and 8.

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by Anonymousreply 48December 1, 2024 8:24 AM

Many will remember watching in horror five years ago as bright orange flames engulfed the 860-year-old Gothic cathedral, its famed spire toppling from the Paris skyline.

At the time, Macron vowed the beloved building would be restored and set an ambitious deadline of five years. Fast forward 2,055 days, the seemingly impossible has been achieved and the €700 million ($737 million) restoration is complete.

by Anonymousreply 1November 29, 2024 11:59 PM

They've done an amazing job.

by Anonymousreply 2November 30, 2024 12:05 AM

Flourescent lights on beige.

How restorative.

by Anonymousreply 3November 30, 2024 12:07 AM

It looks like they painted it white.

by Anonymousreply 4November 30, 2024 12:11 AM

It needs a little patina.

The photos suggest a Datalounge "Tasteful Friends" subject, somewhere in Texas.

by Anonymousreply 5November 30, 2024 12:15 AM

Is it lit with LED lights now or is just the soot was actually removed from the stone for the first time in hundreds of years?

by Anonymousreply 6November 30, 2024 12:17 AM

I want Macron to sit on my face.

by Anonymousreply 7November 30, 2024 12:21 AM

It's incredibly beautiful. So much history there, and I bet it's even more incredible in person.

by Anonymousreply 8November 30, 2024 12:37 AM

They did such a fantastic job. Worth every cent.

R8 I visited 7 years ago (my second visit), and it has a beautiful, tranquil atmosphere. The artwork, the stained glass, the architecture.. Absolutely stunning.

by Anonymousreply 9November 30, 2024 12:39 AM

The trains are failing the slums are falling down the people have to work longer till retirement but hey the church looks great.

by Anonymousreply 10November 30, 2024 12:44 AM

I bet it now has wifi and the gift shop is twice the size of the old one.

by Anonymousreply 11November 30, 2024 12:50 AM

[quote]the seemingly impossible has been achieved

Nothing's impossible!

by Anonymousreply 12November 30, 2024 12:53 AM

Same here R7.

by Anonymousreply 13November 30, 2024 1:02 AM

Beautiful.

by Anonymousreply 14November 30, 2024 1:17 AM

*

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by Anonymousreply 15November 30, 2024 3:10 AM

Let's hope it represents a revitalisation of France.

by Anonymousreply 16November 30, 2024 3:36 AM

It looks so....new. I don't recognize it because the stone is so clean and the lighting so bright. It looks downright Protestant. It seemed dark and mysterious before the fire. The windows are still spectacular. It was a major undertaking and quite an accomplishment.

by Anonymousreply 17November 30, 2024 7:13 PM

Could you feel the history. It must have been incredible to visit there.

by Anonymousreply 18November 30, 2024 7:40 PM

I meant to R9, Dutchie⬆️

by Anonymousreply 19November 30, 2024 7:46 PM

Yes, R18, you could. It also had that old church smell, the floors and steps were a bit concave from all of the many footsteps over the centuries. I've visited several times. Went to morning mass in the nave behind the main altar one morning with the rising sun coming through the windows.

There are plenty of other cathedrals definitely worth visiting that breathe of history: Chartre & Rheims (I might visit them next year), Canterbury (it was bigger, much more beautiful, interesting then I expected). Many of the churches in Italy.

- Not R8

by Anonymousreply 20November 30, 2024 7:50 PM

R18, you absolutely could. As you walk down, from the Centra Pompidou, to the island in the Seine where the cathedral is located, the city is loud, there is a lot of noise, people milling about.

And then you enter the Notre Dame, and everything else just... melts away. I remember a lot of places where you can light a candle, in different sizes. The church wasn't super crowded, but well-visited. People speaking in hushed tones. Quiet enough to sit and reflect for a moment, and then you walk out again into the bustling business of Paris.

by Anonymousreply 21November 30, 2024 8:24 PM

Looks like the national cathedral in DC. I guess it’s unavoidable.

by Anonymousreply 22November 30, 2024 8:32 PM

They should have restored the grimey soot from 900 years of Gauloises.

by Anonymousreply 23November 30, 2024 9:34 PM

There was the same ignorant bitching when they cleaned the Sistina. This is what it looked in 1163. Trust me.

by Anonymousreply 24November 30, 2024 9:38 PM

This is literally and figuratively a bright spot in world of on going negative events.Restoration made interior brighter than ever.

by Anonymousreply 25November 30, 2024 9:57 PM

I read it cost like three quarters of a billion euros, damm. But it looks spotless. There were plans to make the new roof really 'green', like alive with plants. I didn't see any pictures of that, did it happen?

by Anonymousreply 26November 30, 2024 10:30 PM

The world is lucky it survived at all and that great care and no expense spared for a treasure of humanity.

by Anonymousreply 27November 30, 2024 10:50 PM

Hrmmmmm difficult to tell for certain from photos (as always with lighting) but it looks a bit lacking in depth and shadowplay, and they definitely used too white a colour temp. Looks like a computer game in some photos.

by Anonymousreply 28November 30, 2024 10:55 PM

They never did verify the exact cause of the fire. They are assuming it's either from a cigarette or an electric circuit short. It is a breathtakingly beautiful church, I;m glad they did such an amazing job restoring it.

by Anonymousreply 29November 30, 2024 10:58 PM

Where is the color?? Who chose the drab white and gray? I hate open concept floor plans!

by Anonymousreply 30November 30, 2024 11:00 PM

I mean, they've done a remarkable job, but it looks new and frankly lacking in awe. They've removed centuries of aging aka history.

by Anonymousreply 31November 30, 2024 11:10 PM

And that kitchen island has GOT TO GO!

by Anonymousreply 32November 30, 2024 11:12 PM

They need to bring in several smoke bombs and set them off in the place and let it sit there closed up for several days. That'll get the place looking like it's an 850 year old cathedral.

by Anonymousreply 33November 30, 2024 11:14 PM

Time will dirty it again.

I'm also amazed that the whole thing didn't collapse. Those flying buttresses did their job.

by Anonymousreply 34November 30, 2024 11:18 PM

Great place to ditch the tour!

by Anonymousreply 35November 30, 2024 11:21 PM

They have done the same over cleaning of the stone in Rome a la Trevi. Removing all patina and shadowing . Bleaching and 24/7 LED lighting destroys chiaroscuro . Making architectural features and sculpture appear two dimensional. Medieval art was made to be viewed under natural sunlight and shadowed candlelight. You wind up with Notre-Dame de Vegas.

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by Anonymousreply 36November 30, 2024 11:40 PM

It sounds like it was a beautiful experience. To be there for morning mass with the sun coming through those beautiful windows. The smell of history, too. Thank you R20.

by Anonymousreply 37December 1, 2024 12:11 AM

^ Medieval art was not made to be viewed by Negroes.

by Anonymousreply 38December 1, 2024 12:12 AM

In France everything looks better White.

by Anonymousreply 39December 1, 2024 12:16 AM

R37, keep following your soul. It will happen. Going to Notre Dame helped my appreciate architecture, beauty and music where I am from that I had never seen before.

by Anonymousreply 40December 1, 2024 1:04 AM

I'd love to experience that R40. If I ever get the chance I'd go there. I will follow my soul, and I'm trying to now. Thank you R40.

by Anonymousreply 41December 1, 2024 1:21 AM

live life love!

by Anonymousreply 42December 1, 2024 2:20 AM

The rose window looks stunning in blue.

by Anonymousreply 43December 1, 2024 3:27 AM

They ruined the place, unsurprisingly.

The redistribution of light, and its coloration with the new "system" of stage lighting, creates an effect that has nothing to do with the fundamentals of the structure's precise placement in Gothic development.

by Anonymousreply 44December 1, 2024 4:07 AM

R44

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by Anonymousreply 45December 1, 2024 6:24 AM

Looks amazing! Can’t wait to see in person …

by Anonymousreply 46December 1, 2024 6:35 AM

[quote] I mean, they've done a remarkable job, but it looks new and frankly lacking in awe. They've removed centuries of aging aka history.

I agree. I prefer those dark, cavernous gothic cathedrals where you can imagine you are back in the time when it was constructed. It looks sterile now. Glad I got to see it a couple times back in the day, but it's not the same now. Bordeaux still has a beautiful cathedral.

by Anonymousreply 47December 1, 2024 7:46 AM

They must have had some of the best artisans and architect's in the world to rebuild it so beautifully.

by Anonymousreply 48December 1, 2024 8:24 AM
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