On Sunday, the first mass was held at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was rebuilt after the fire in 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron took part in it. From Sunday evening, the cathedral is again accessible to everyone.
The consecration of the altar, which was the central ritual of the ceremony, took place in five stages. First there were the relics of five saints related to the history of the Parish Church. These are the monuments: St. Mary Eugene of Jesus Milleret, St. Magdalena Sophia Barat, St. Catherine Lebor, St. Congratulations to Charles de Foucault and Vladimir Ghika. The next elements of the ceremony were: a prayer of thanksgiving, an anointing with oil and an offering of incense, then the altar was decorated and lit.
Opening Ceremony at Notre Dame Cathedral
From the evening, the church is again accessible to the general public. The first Mass, which was open to all, began at 6:30 p.m., but reservations had to be made online and places sold out quickly.
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Notre Dame Cathedral – visiting rules
In the first week – until December 14 – Notre Dame will be open until 10:00 p.m. The days from December 8 to 15 are the Octave, an opportunity to celebrate the rebirth of the temple. On Wednesday, December 11, Notre-Dame will welcome residents and businessmen of this district. On December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated. On Friday, December 13, the relic of Christ's crown of thorns will return to Notre Dame – one of the most valuable relics of the temple, which fortunately survived the fire.
Tourists who want to visit Notre Dame are advised to book an entry ticket in a special application (Compagnon de visite) or through the website of the church. The first tickets were sold within hours after the system was launched on December 3.
You can also try to get into Notre Dame without an online reservation, but you'll have to wait a long time. It is estimated that the church, which can accommodate about 3,000 people at a time, will receive 15 million pilgrims and tourists a year.
IN PHOTOS: Notre Dame five years ago and now
Main photo source: EPA/PAP
