Newly restored Notre Dame cathedral held its first mass on Sunday, with Christians celebrating the return of the French capital’s most famous place of worship after a historic reopening ceremony.
The beloved Paris monument nearly burned down in 2019, but has been fully renovated inside and fitted with a new roof and spire during a frenzied five-year overhaul.
The inaugural mass on Sunday morning was led by Paris archbishop Laurent Ulrich with 150 bishops and more than 100 priests from the capital there, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.
The archbishop consecrated the new bronze altar which replaced the old one that was lost in the fire five years ago.
“Whether you are here in person in the cathedral or in front of a screen, including perhaps under the rain, I greet you with intense emotion,” Ulrich told the congregation, referring to the small rain-drenched crowds outside watching events on public screens.
“This morning, the pain of April 15 2019 has been erased,” he added, referring to the date of the inferno, the cause of which remains unknown.
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