Notre-Dame Cathedral is set to reopen its doors to the public on December 8th for its first mass since the devastating fire on April 15, 2019. This article details the full schedule of opening events and ceremonies, the changes to expect after the extensive renovations, and the new ticketing system for visitors. New information will be available from mid-November, so check back for updates next month (Secrets of Paris Community Members will also be notified via email).
Restoration Highlights and Changes Inside the Cathedral
The 850-year-old cathedral has undergone extensive restoration efforts over the past five years to bring it back to its former glory. In addition to the new spire, cross, and golden rooster you can already see on the exterior of Notre Dame, there will be many new things to see in the interno as well. Some things have been completely restored to how they looked in previous centuries such as the painted chapels, reconstituted statues, and the checkered flooring (which was heavily damaged by falling debris during the fire).
There will also be some contemporary touches in the décor according to Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (Recteur-Archiprêtre of Notre-Dame Cathedral): “the liturgical furniture, the seats, the reliquary case, the religious vestments, the lighting, the sound, and even the signage within the cathedral, everything was thought out with extreme ambition and great coherence, placing the liturgy at the heart of the project and integrating it into the ‘soul’ of Notre-Dame, its history, seeking to speak to as many people as possible.”
Artisan Creations for Notre Dame
The Crown of Thorns, which was normally in a reliquary box in the Treasury room of Notre Dame, and only brought out for special religious events like Advent, Easter or Christmas, now has a new vertical reliquary “frame” designed by Sylvain Dubuisson that will be housed in the axial chapel at the far eastern end of the cathedral. Inspired by the oriental tradition of Constantinople, where the King Louis IX (aka Saint Louis) bought c, the reliquary is presented in the form of a large altarpiece in cedar wood – like the wood of the Cross – set with bronze thorns inserted in increasingly wide notches. When on display, the Crown of Thorns will be at the center within the blue half-sphere in a halo of twelve concentric circles of glass cross motifs; the rest of the time, it will be locked away in the base of the reliquary, in the form of a marble “tomb-altar”; those are LED candles on top…they’re not taking any chances! The manufacture of the reliquary shrine is entrusted to the Ateliers Saint-Jacques & Fonderie de Coubertin for the woodwork, foundry, stone and metal, and to the master glassmaker Olivier Juteau.
Olivier Ribadeau Dumas hopes the new design will “encourage contemplation when the Crown is presented to the faithful, but also when it is not visible. I really hope that people will be able to pass in front of this reliquary and demonstrate an act of piety, touch it, place a candle… The presence of the Crown of Thorns and the relics of the Passion in the axial chapel is not only an important moment in the cathedral’s walking tour, but also an essential element to encourage popular piety and devotion.” Click to see full sized:
The liturgical furniture (altar, bishop’s chair, ambo lectern, tabernacle and baptistery) were created by the French designer and sculptor Guillaume Bardet in sculpted bronze, chosen for its “noble simplicity”. The altar crucifix, candlesticks and vase placed under the statue of the Virgin and Child known as “Our Lady” are also in bronze. The same artist designed the 30 silver and gold liturgical objects used in the celebration of Catholic Mass, such as the chalice and censer (to carry the incense during processions).
There are new stands for the devotional candles visitors can purchase to light in the chapels (with a convenient credit card payment terminal built into it alongside the slot for cash payment) designed by Vincent Dupont-Rougier. The official votive candles for Notre-Dame come from the Ciergerie de Lourdes, located a few steps from the Lourdes Sanctuary in southwestern France. These paraffin candles are supposedly environmentally friendly, 100% biodegradable and compostable.
The chairs and kneelers were designed by Ionna Vautrin: “I wanted to create furniture that would interact with the thousand-year-old Gothic-inspired architecture of Notre-Dame, its arches, its columns, its stained glass windows, but also all its softness and transparency that move both the faithful and visitors from all over the world.” They don’t look that comfortable with the intentionally low back (so they can be used to lean on in prayer for those in the last row), but then again, church chairs in France rarely are! These solid oak chairs and kneeler are being made in Hagetmau, a village in the Landes region of France, by the family-owned Bosc chair manufacturers with wood from the forests of Sologne. They’ve kept the wood a pale blonde so it wouldn’t contrast too much with the newly-cleaned stone of the cathedral.
This may be one of the biggest changes people will notice when visiting Notre Dame, the almost ivory-colored appearance of the stone arches and vaulted ceilings, which had been mostly grey or even black from centuries of candle smoke and city pollution. There will also be completely new lighting that will inevitably add to the sensation of brightness that we’re not used to in Gothic churches. Designed by the Patrick Rimoux agency, this will include 10 architectural lighting scenarios, 30 liturgical scenarios and 10 concert scenarios, with 2175 light points and 1550 projectors, connected to a medial control panel that can vary each light’s intensity and warmth from a spectrum of 2200K (the warm color of a candle), to 5000K (a cold white color).
Could It Be A Little Too Clean?
Looking at the video above from June, the restored Notre Dame looks so clean and new that I wonder if it will still have its historic atmosphere, or if it will feel like…a Disney cathedral. I don’t want to be a critic before the doors have even opened, and I hope I’m wrong (after all, those colors in the chapels are amazing!). But I can’t help but think of the way the Cluny Museum’s renovations “cleaned up and streamlined” its collection so thoroughly that it has completely lost the mysterious (and admittedly dusty) Medieval atmosphere that I loved. Of course the damaged floors have to be replaced, but how many times have you walked in wonderment across cracked and uneven church stones smoothed by centuries of pilgrims’ feet? With 15 million visitors a year, by the time our great-grandchildren visit, it may have its historic patina back. 😉
One contemporary change I’m not worried about is the addition of six new stained-glass windows in chapels along the south aisle depicting the theme of Pentecost. Eight artists have been chosen to compete for the final selection in November, including Daniel Buren of the famous black and white striped Buren columns at Palais Royal. These new windows will be replacing the bland neo-gothic grisaille panes added by Viollet-Le-Duc in the 19th century renovations that have zero artistic interest (even the description of them, grisaille, is the same word used by the French to describe gloomy grey weather). This is so controversial that you’ll see a lot of fake articles saying the 13th-century rose windows are being replaced, or that any contemporary art would ruin the cathedral’s historic heritage. But if this was true, then it was already “ruined” when 24 abstract-style stained-glass windows by the contemporary artist Jacques Le Chevallier were added in the 1960s (they’re on the second level, but if you look up while strolling through Notre Dame, you can’t miss them; also see them at 0:22 in the video above and the photos below). I also love the contemporary stained-glass windows in the Flamboyant Gothic church in the Latin Quarter, Saint Severin (worth a visit if you’ve never been).
And Now a Word from Our (Fashionable) Sponsors
And it wouldn’t be 21st-century Paris without the fashion industry’s involvement, so of course the new religious vestments are branded by the French aristocrat and clothing designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for bishops, priests, and deacons to wear for the celebration of Mass and other services. Donated to the cathedral for the 700 celebrants who will be present at the reopening ceremonies, these colorful vestments will be used throughout the inicial period until Pentecost on June 8, 2025. After that, look for them on Vinted (just kidding…maybe).
Changes to the Visitor Experience
New Free Ticketing System
Its medial location, free entrance, and worldwide fame meant Notre Dame Cathedral was already one of the most-visited monuments in Paris before the fire, with 12-14 million visitors per year. In anticipation of an estimated 15 million annual visitors expected once the cathedral reopens, Notre-Dame is implementing a new do dedo reservation system through the “Compagnon de Visite” app. Entrance will still be free, but with only enough space for 2,500 people at a time due to ongoing restoration work—which is expected to continue for several more years—the new smartphone app system aims to prevent overcrowding and reduce waiting.
The “Compagnon de Visite” app will be available for free download from the cathedral’s official website and on Android and Apple stores later this fall (I will add the links here once they’re published). According to the latest news, the time slots will be opened for reservations just a few days in advance, so don’t expect to be able to reserve your spot months in advance. Initially, the reservation system will be open to individual tourists. Group reservations will become available six months after the reopening, around Pentecost 2025.
No Reservation? No Problem! (in theory)
Reservations aren’t strictly mandatory. For those without a smartphone – or who weren’t able to book a timeslot during your stay in Paris – you can still show up and “take a number” for a time slot within the same day, but that line may be considerably longer. I’ve found that any free visits that require a timeslot reservation tend to have a lot of people simply not show up (because they’re not losing any money), so there will likely be a lot of open spots each day. I’ll test this out once the cathedral reopens and report back.
Beware of Fake Ticket Sites!
There have already been reports of website selling fake tickets. Don’t fall for it! The new ticketing app isn’t online yet, but when it is, you’ll find it on the official Notre Dame Cathedral website. Once it’s open, they will only allow reservations a few days in advance, and they will ALWAYS be free. Finally, no group tours are permitted the first six months, so there’s no way a tour operator can get you tickets. When in doubt, forward me any links you see to “skip-the-line” entrance to Notre Dame, and I’ll check it out.
Reversed Visitor Route
The new app is also meant to “enhance the visitor experience” with detailed educational information about the cathedral’s history, décor, accessibility, and calendar of religious events, although they also promise to have printed brochures at the entrance so we’re not all staring at our phones in church!
One of the biggest changes for those of you who already know the cathedral well, will be the change in direction. Normally the visits are in a counter-clockwise route, entering the southern Porte de Sainte Anne and exiting (after the gift shop) from the northern Porte de la Vierge (at least this has been the case since I first moved here in 1995, but perhaps it was different in the centuries before). But now the visit will go clockwise, so the entrance will be through the medial portal of the Last Judgment, and exit through the Sainte-Anne portal dedicated to the childhood of Christ. This will allow visitors to see the scenes depicting Jesus’s life on the 14th-century wooden choir enclosure in chronological order, with scenes from his birth on the north side and scenes from his resurrection on the south side.
All the chapels of the south and north aisles have been renamed. Those of the north are now linked to characters from the Old Testament, who preceded Christ, while those of the south are now dedicated to saints from the History of Paris. The historic paintings known as The Mays will be hung in the aisles in two coherent cycles, one dedicated to Saint Peter, the other to Saint Paul.
There will be a welcome desk with brochures, audio guides and receptionists to answer questions at the first pillar in the north entrance (“A” in the map above). There will be 60 staff and 500 volunteers recruited to welcome visitors in December. The gift shop has been moved to the opposite end of the cathedral between the first two pillars next to the southern visitors’ exit (“B” on the map).
A Week of Religious Ceremonies and Procession
On the eve of its long-awaited reopening on December 8th, more concrete information is being released about the calendar of celebrations planned to mark this important milestone in the cathedral’s history. There have been conflicting reports about which of the dates will be open to the general public through the reservation system, and which are only for clergy, major donors, and those who helped save and restore the cathedral (from firefighters to stone masons). But it’s not supposed to be exclusionary. In his letter, Archbishop Ulrich expressed his hope that these celebrations would be truly popular, encouraging Parisians and all residents of the provinces to make a pilgrimage to Notre-Dame over the next six months, from December to June: “We want the people of Paris to be present, from children to the elderly, and for no one to be excluded,” said the archbishop in an article in Zenit, who also called on Christian associations to make sure that people in precarious or isolated situations also have their place in the festivities. This is what we know about the opening events so far (to be updated as more information becomes available).
- November Procession: One of the highlights will be a large procession through the streets of Paris sometime in November to mark the return of the Virgin and Child, a precious 14th-century sculpture that survived the fire and which, since then, has been kept in the church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, next to the Louvre. This statue used to stand on a pillar just to the right of the altar in Notre Dame, and a replica has been erected on the Seine-side of the parvis in front of the cathedral during the restoration works. This will be open to the general public along the streets of Paris.
- December 7th: This evening will be the official handover of the cathedral, property of the French state, to the Catholic Church, which is its assignee. The cathedral will then be inaugurated with the first notes from the restored organ, a liturgical celebration with blessing, a Magnificat or Te Deum, and a Vespers to close this historic day. This ceremony is open only by invitation.
- Octave of Celebrations (December 8th – 15th): Notre-Dame will host a series of daily celebrations dedicated to specific themes. Here are some highlights:
- December 8th: Today will be the celebration of the first Mass in the restored cathedral and consecration of the new altar. The date symbolically coincides with the second Sunday in the Advent calendar, and the day preceding the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Most reports say this will be open to the general public (via reservations on the app).
- December 9th: Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, an important Catholic holiday paying tribute to the Virgin Mary (Notre Dame translates to “Our Lady”).
- December 11th: The choir of the Compagnons de Notre-Dame, made up of 78 amateur singers who also worked on the cathedral’s restoration (including architects, stone masons, security guards, electricians, and painters) will sing Le Cantique de Jean-Racine during Mass.
Notable Absence of Pope Francis
Despite an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to preside over the reopening mass (and a “scoop” by the Catholic Herald newspaper confirming it on September 11th), Pope Francis has declined to attend the event, firmly stating “I will not go to Paris!” in a press conference two days later, without elaborating. There are at least three good reasons he declined, but as they’re all speculative, I’ll leave it at that.
Pre-Opening Exhibitions and Events
In anticipation of the reopening, several cultural institutions are hosting special events under the label “Notre-Dame de Paris: Ever Closer to Reopening“:
- “Making Stones Speak. Medieval Sculptures of Notre-Dame” at the Cluny Museum from November 19th, 2024-March 16th, 2025: Explore medieval sculptures from Notre-Dame, some of which haven’t been displayed for over 80 years, and thirty fragments of the rood screen from the 1230s unearthed during archaeological research during the restoration.
- “Éternelle Notre-Dame”: If you’re tech-savvy, don’t miss this immersive Virtual Reality experience that takes you through the cathedral’s interno and its fascinating history, at the Espace Notre-Dame (beneath the Parvis in front of Notre Dame). Open daily, €30 if you book online (€35 at the door). Part of the proceeds support the ongoing restoration efforts.
- “Notre Dame de Paris: at the heart of the worksite”: A free exhibit that’s also at the Espace Notre Dame (beneath the Parvis), taking visitors behind the scenes through films, models, and artifacts showing each stage of the cathedral’s massive restoration project, and introducing the men and women who rebuilt Notre Dame. Open daily 10am-7:30pm, no reservations needed.
- Free Guided Tours of the Exterior: Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and CASA volunteer guides offer free one-hour tours around the cathedral in English at 2:45pm on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Meet in front of the statue of the Virgin and Child (to the right of the Parvis in front of Notre Dame, see photo below).
Concerts by the Notre-Dame de Paris Choir
The Notre-Dame de Paris Choir (aka La Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris) historically leads the daily services at Notre-Dame, nearly 1,000 per year. Since the fire, you can hear the choir at Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois church: daily Vespers services at 5:45pm, weekday mass at 6:15pm, Saturday mass at 6:30pm, and Sunday Lauds at 9:30am, Gregorian Mass at 10am, and Mass presided over by the Archbishop at 6:30pm. They will be performing during regular services at Notre Dame once reopened, but you can also see them during their special concerts outside of services. December 17th and 18th are waitlist only, but you can still get tickets for January 14th (Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem): https://musique-sacree-notredamedeparis.fr/boutique/concert/24-25/requiem-faure/
Photos from September’s Heritage Days at Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s many artisans, known as Les Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France, set up their workshops and demonstrations on the Parvis de Notre Dame for the Journées du Patroimine on September 21and 22 to share their skills and know-how with the public. It was just a little preview of the work that went into the cathedral’s restoration. Click images to see full sized:
Ongoing Restoration and Renovations
Although the cathedral will reopen in December, visits to the towers and Treasury Room won’t be possible until further notice, and some of the restoration work will continue into the coming years, including:
- Restoration of the chevet, consolidation of the flying buttresses and restoration of the exteriors of the sacristy of Viollet-le-Duc starting in 2025
- Installation of new stained-glass windows in 2026
- Restoration of the cathedral’s surroundings, including the green spaces, under the direction of Belgian architect and landscape designer Bas Smets starting next fall. Here’s the video showing what it may look like when finished in 2027:
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