France on Saturday, December 7, re-opened the doors of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral after a five-year closure, in a ceremony celebrating the rebirth of the Paris landmark ravaged by a devastating fire in 2019.
French President Emmanuel Macron scored a major coup by attracting US President-elect Donald Trump, on his first foreign trip since his election. He was joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for three-way talks at the Elysée Palace.
USA-trump-france.JPG 1x, https://img.lemde.fr/2024/12/07/0/0/4981/3321/1260/0/45/0/f9f5f20_2024-12-07t165135z-619183353-rc2gkbadfif0-rtrmadp-3-usa-trump-france.JPG 2x” width=”664″ height=”443″ alt=”French President Emmanuel Macron, US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysée.”/> 
Some 40 other leaders attended the ceremony, as well as many guests and VIPs.
Outside, people stood in the cold wind and rain to get a glimpse of the ceremony from television screens placed along the quay.
The re-opening officially took place when Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich opened the doors to the cathedral by knocking on them three times, marking the start of the almost two-hour ceremony.
Macron then gave a speech, expressing the “gratitude” of the French nation for the restoration of Notre-Dame.
The cathedral’s four organists, Thierry Escaich, Olivier Latry, Vincent Dubois and Thibault Fajoles, took part in the musical re-awakening of the organ.
The liturgical ceremony included a psalm for vespers, a homily by the bishop and a Magnificat, accompanied by the choir organ.
After the liturgical ceremony, a concert took place on the cathedral’s parvis.
Notre-Dame de Paris re-opening in pictures
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