Macron celebrates France’s builders amid a political and meteorological storm

Of course, nothing went according to plan. The Elysée had its dreams, but the weather made sure of this. On Saturday, December 7, the risk of a storm, with the wind blowing violently and the heavy rain forecast for the evening, forced the State and Church authorities to make a strategic and concerted withdrawal into the cathedral for the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris, which had been so carefully planned.

If you could call it a retreat. For the president spoke not on the parvis, but inside the cathedral. Admittedly, not behind the altar, nor on the rostrum, but still under the Virgin of the Pillar, where the poet Paul Claudel rediscovered his faith during Christmas vespers in 1886 – as Emmanuel Macron, lover of fine writing and intellectual spirituality, a disciple of philosopher Paul Ricœur, was sure to point out in his speech. A president haranguing a nave packed to the rafters with the bigwigs of the Republic and the clergy, and ending his homily – what else would you call it? – with “Vive Notre-Dame, vive la République, vive la France.” It was more than his advisers could have hoped for. As one facetious priest laughed under his breath: “Jupiter masters the elements,” he said referring to Macron’s nickname for himself.

The warning had been given the day before, with the arrival of Storm Darragh in France. At 7 pm, all hell broke loose and everything was changed. The party scheduled to be broadcast live on French television, on Saturday evening, in front of the cathedral and inside the monument, was shot on the fly the day before and broadcast later. This cut several artists (Clara Luciani, Garou, Vianey, Pretty Yende, etc.) out of the event.

As for the ceremony itself, chairs were added in the nave, transepts and side aisles of the cathedral to accommodate the 2,400 people now expected. This was according to a meticulous, hierarchical geography: heads of state in the front row on the right, French leaders on the left, then major patrons, followed by those who helped with the reconstruction, firefighters, some 300 representatives of the diocese’s parishes and the press. The ecclesiastics were in the south transept and the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame choir in the north transept.

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By 4:30 pm on Saturday, the first guests were trickling in via the Pont d’Arcole. Although “no major threat has been identified,” the Paris prefecture set up an anti-terrorist perimeter for the entire weekend, blocking all access to the Ile de la cité. A total of 6,000 police, gendarmes and military personnel were mobilized. Some 40 heads of state were expected to attend, and thousands of spectators were expected on the left bank of the Seine.

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