Cathedral's revival beckons visitors through the city's layered poetry, honoring the past and dancing toward the future

In December, the heart of Paris began to beat anew. Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most beloved landmarks in the world, reopened to the public after five years of careful restoration.

Following the tragic fire in April 2019, which destroyed its roof and famous spire, the cathedral was left a shadow of its former self. Now, it rises again, reborn in stone, wood, and spirit.

The renovation was an extraordinary effort. More than 1,000 craftspeople, engineers, historians, and artisans from across France came together to restore the cathedral. They used traditional techniques from the Middle Ages, down to carpentry methods and limestone extraction. Two thousand oak trees were selected from sustainable forests to rebuild the roof's complex framework. Each was shaped and assembled to match the original design.

The roof that collapsed in 2019 was itself a 19th-century replacement, but it had become iconic. Historical drawings and modern 3D scans were employed to design a precise replica. It now soars to its rightful place in the Parisian skyline, gleaming with new copper and gold leaf detailing, its rooster-shaped weather vane proudly watching over the city.

Philippe Jost, head of the public agency Rebuilding Notre Dame, told the French newspaper Le Monde on Dec 1: "Although it's not the largest cathedral in France, it had a major influence on how others were built. We chose to rebuild it exactly as it was because the original design has stood the test of time."