Notre-Dame is back – Macron visits the construction site one last time

What a contrast. A cosy studio in the chic eleventh arrondissement of Paris at the end of October. Marie Parant-Andaloro says with a smile that she is gradually preparing for the time "after Notre-Dame". "Il faut se 'desintoxiquer'" - "You have to 'detox' yourself". Four weeks later, she is once again standing in the vast cathedral, her workplace over the past few years. The expert in the restoration of paintings and murals is waiting for a special guest in a side chapel of the Gothic church on Friday morning.

French President Emmanuel Macron has come to the "construction site of the century" one last time before the world-famous church is ceremoniously opened on 7 and 8 December. The Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, and the Rector of Notre-Dame, Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, welcomed Macron and his wife Brigitte beforehand in glorious sunshine. In tow with the presidential couple: the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, Culture Minister Rachida Dati and Macron's special envoy for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, Philippe Jost.

"Proud" - the word comes up a lot this morning. Proud to have made it. More than 2,000 craftsmen and specialists from all disciplines have contributed to Macron's bold bet. The church would be rebuilt in five years, the president announced immediately after the devastating fire in April 2019. Five and a half years later, the world-famous place of worship shines in new splendour. "You will experience the cathedral as you have never seen it before," Archbishop Ulrich whispers to the President as he enters.

Live pictures of the visit go around the world

The event is shown live on television, allowing viewers around the world to see the restored church for the first time. An "adventure of humanity", an "epic of stone and spirit" - there was no shortage of superlatives to describe the effort France has put into the building, which probably symbolises the country's rich history like no other.

Macron, who is often accused of arrogance and aloofness by his compatriots, appears grateful, almost humble, during his visit. During his almost two-and-a-half-hour tour, he listens carefully and seeks out dialogue with the people who explain to him how they have contributed to the cathedral actually being able to reopen in a few days' time.

The group around Macron stops at prominent points. For example, in front of the "Vierge du Pilier" statue of the Virgin Mary, which miraculously remained intact amidst the charred rubble during the fire. Directly below it: the ambo, a lectern from which the readings and Gospel are recited and the priest gives the sermon. Mary will be the first to hear the word of God in future, says Archbishop Ulrich. The Catholic Macron will be able to categorise the symbolic interpretation.

1,200 oak trees for the roof truss

A short time later, we move on to the roof truss of the nave and choir, where the fire raged particularly badly. 1,200 oak trees from all over France were needed for the reconstruction. This figure alone commands respect. "I am very, very moved," says architect Remi Fromont. Macron learns about the markings that the carpenters left on the beams before heading to the Saint-Marcel chapel and Marie Parant-Andaloro shortly afterwards.

The wall decorations there are the work of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. In the 19th century, the architect made an outstanding contribution to the preservation of the cathedral and added his own touch with the historicising paintings. With her team of 14 restorers and a gilder, Parant-Andaloro freed the frescoes from the dust and dirt of the past 150 years. "What you see here are the original colours of Viollet-le-Duc," emphasises Parant-Andaloro. "We have done nothing but clean the paintings."

Once again, Macron is impressed. And enthuses about the daring of Viollet-le-Duc, who took on the competition with the masters of the Middle Ages. "That can inspire us." For a moment, there's a flash of Macron's daring, who recently went all out with the dissolution of parliament in the summer.

Thanks and a little melancholy

Finally, the visibly moved President addressed the more than 1,300 craftsmen and specialists who had gathered inside the church and on the forecourt of Notre-Dame. Minutes before his speech, applause erupted again and again. He praised the craftsmen and specialists as the "alchemists of the building site" who had brought art back to life from coal.

Parant-Andaloro said in her studio that she had enjoyed working with all these people on the construction site. There seemed to be a touch of melancholy: "Notre-Dame - it was like a small town."