Paris to Reopen Notre Dame in December 2024
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will reopen to visitors and churchgoers at the end of 2024, less than six years after a fire destroyed much of its roof.
The cathedral's famous spire, which fell down in the fire, will begin reappearing above the building this year.
Officials have decided to rebuild the 12th-century church the way it was before. That includes rebuilding the 93-meter-high spire added in the 19th century.
It also means using the same construction methods and materials that were used in the Middle Ages.
The rebuilding itself started last year, after more than two years of work to make the building stable and safe enough for people to start working on it.
The reopening date of December 2024 is in line with the goal given by President Emmanuel Macron just after the fire — but it will be too late for the Paris Olympic Games which take place in the summer of next year.
However, Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak told The Associated Press that the work won't be complete when the cathedral reopens. "There will still be some renovation work going on in 2025," she said.
For now, an exhibit called "Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site" is open to visitors in an underground space in front of the cathedral.
It's free to visit and includes information about the building work as well as the expert workers doing it. It also includes some remains from the fire and art from the cathedral.
