The Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris has recovered its 8 bells. They were removed for the sake of restoration, following the devastating fire of 2019.
But these are not the only bells that will ring from the Cathedral. Another one will be added: the athletes' “victory bell” from the 2024 Olympic Games.
In a few months, this bell will no longer be just for the athletes, but will represent a call to the faithful visitors of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Cathedral is set to reopen on December 8. The French President formally invited Pope Francis to attend the reopening, but the Pope announced that he is unable to go to Paris.
The reconstruction process is over 90% complete. In December, the Archbishop of Paris blessed the new golden rooster that was later raised to the top of the spire and bears relics saved from the fire and the names of the 2,000 people involved in restoration.
And in May, the cross at the apse of the Cathedral, which had to be carefully restored in Normandy, was also reinstalled back in the heart of Paris.
The reconstruction process of the Cathedral that sees over 12 million visitors each year has been far from easy, but holds great significance for both French Catholics and those around the world.
The restoration of the Cathedral is expected to cost over 800 million dollars. But through over 340,000 donations from people in 150 countries, the funds raised to restore Notre Dame currently amounts to over 900 million dollars.
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TR: AT
