The world got its first glimpse on Friday of the newly renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
President Emmanuel Macron of France took viewers on a live televised tour of the cathedral's dazzlingly clean interior and rebuilt roofing, five years after a devastating fire that was followed by a colossal reconstruction effort.
“I believe you are seeing the cathedral like it has never been seen before,” Philippe Jost, the head of the reconstruction task force, told Mr. Macron.
The French president and his wife, Brigitte, gushed with admiration and craned their necks as they entered the 12th and 13th-century Gothic monument alongside the mayor and archbishop of Paris.
More than 450,000 square feet of cream-colored limestone inside the cathedral have been meticulously stripped of ash, lead dust and centuries of accumulated grime, leaving its soaring vaults, thick columns and tall walls almost startlingly bright.
Persons:
Emmanuel Macron, “, ” Philippe Jost, Macron, Brigitte, gushed
Organizations:
Notre, Dame Cathedral
Locations:
Paris, France