The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral sang out in harmony Friday morning for the first time since a fire ravaged the historic Christian landmark in 2019. And for Paris, it was worth the wait.
One by one, eight restored bells in the northern belfry chimed together shortly before 10:30 a.m., marking a triumphant milestone just weeks before the cathedral’s December 8 reopening.
“This is a beautiful, important and symbolic step,” declared Philippe Jost, who leads the massive restoration project that mobilized 250 companies and hundreds of experts.
The price tag for restoration was over $1 billion. But the world stepped up to help. LVMH founder Bernard Arnault’s family poured in $215 million. Luxury rival François Pinault’s family added another $105 million. Even Apple and Disney opened their checkbooks.
“I was here when Notre Dame went up in flames and we watched in horror,” said Robert, a 51-year-old café manager on nearby Île-Saint-Louis. “Whether you’re a believer or not, it’s a magnificent symbol of Paris.”
Each bell required painstaking restoration after the fire coated them in toxic lead dust. Gabriel, the heavyweight champion, tips the scales at over four tonnes. Jean-Marie, the lightweight contender, weighs in at 800 kilograms.
Three new bells now join the chorus, including one that victorious athletes rang during the Paris Olympics.
The 861-year-old cathedral’s rebirth marks French President Emmanuel Macron’s fulfilled promise to restore Notre Dame within five years and make it “even more beautiful” than before.
“It’s not perfect yet, but we will make it perfect,” promised Alexandre Gougeon, who oversees the bell restoration. Cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas solemnly consecrated the bells in September before their reinstallation.
But the bells aren’t alone in their resurrection. The cathedral’s Great Organ, a musical giant with 8,000 pipes dating to 1733, is being meticulously restored after lead residue penetrated its pipes.
A weekend of ceremonies will mark Notre Dame’s grand reopening December 7-8, proving once again Paris’s centuries-old motto: “Fluctuat nec mergitur” — tossed by waves but never sinks.
After five years of silence, Notre Dame’s bells ring again. Take a listen —
The #bells of #NotreDame have just been ringing for the first time since the fire!
(Via @afpfr) pic.twitter.com/6Q6pPQuSui— Agnes C. Poirier (@AgnesCPoirier) November 8, 2024