PARIS — Howling winds couldn’t stop Notre Dame’s heart from beating again.
With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a crosier carved from fire-scorched beams, the cathedral roared back to life Saturday evening. For the first time since a blaze engulfed it in 2019, the towering Gothic landmark reopened for worship.
Unusually fierce December winds whipping across the Ile de la Cite, flanked by the River Seine, forced all the events inside. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendor. Inside the nave, choirs sang psalms and the cathedral’s mighty organ thundered back to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.
The evening’s celebration, attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, underscored Notre Dame’s role as a spiritual and cultural beacon. For President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious restoration timeline, it was a rare moment of unity at a time of profound political crises and threats to his presidential legacy.
France’s Emmanuel Macron welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to Paris with lots of presidential pomp. Ukraine’s president joins them in meeting.
Amid global unrest, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, the cathedral’s resurrection emerged as a symbol of resilience.
“Notre Dame is not just a French monument — it is a magnificent sign of hope,” said its rector, the Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas. “What seemed impossible has become possible.”
Ukrainian pastor Andriy Morkvas, attending his first Mass at Notre Dame in more than a decade, found hope in the cathedral’s rebirth. “God is powerful; he can change things,” he said. “I hope Notre Dame and Mary will help resolve our conflict.”
Guests entered through Notre Dame’s iconic western facade, whose arched portals adorned with biblical carvings were once a visual guide for medieval believers. Above the central Portal of the Last Judgment, the Archangel Michael is depicted weighing souls, as demons attempt to tip the scales.
What had been a silent, soot-blackened ruin five years ago now blazed with renewed vitality, marking the culmination of a nearly $1-billion global effort to resurrect it.
Speaking inside the cathedral, Macron expressed gratitude Saturday to those who saved, helped and rebuilt Notre Dame.
The celebration — and the achievement of restoring the cathedral within an ambitious five-year timeline — is expected to give a much-needed boost to the embattled French leader, whose prime minister was ousted this week.
“I stand before you ... to express the gratitude of the French nation,” he said, “Tonight, the bells of Notre Dame are ringing again.”
In the restoration, more than 50,000 square yards of stonework — an area equal to six soccer fields — were cleaned, revealing luminous limestone and intricate carvings long cloaked in soot. Above the nave, 2,000 oak beams, nicknamed “the forest,” were used to rebuild the spire and roof, restoring the cathedral’s iconic silhouette.
The day after an inferno struck Notre Dame cathedral in 2019, its chief architect, Philippe Villeneuve, walked despondently into its remains.
The ceremony began with Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors, tapping them three times with his fire-scarred crosier.
“Brothers and sisters, let us enter now into Notre Dame,” he declared. “It is she who accompanies us on our path to peace.”
A prerecorded concert featured luminaries such as pianist Lang Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and soprano Pretty Yende. Their performances offered a message of harmony, celebrating the cathedral’s role as a sanctuary of faith and art.
Outside, the word “MERCI” — thank you — was projected against the western facade.
Personal stories of faith punctuated the evening. Huguette Euphrasie, attending with her cancer-stricken mother, gazed at the cathedral’s illuminated towers. “It has huge spiritual value for me,” she said. “It’s very moving.”
For Patricia and Cyrille Brenner, who traveled overnight from Cannes, the reopening felt like a pilgrimage. “The fire was a call to renew our faith,” Cyrille said.
Security was tight, with police vans and soldiers in body armor patrolling embankments, while a special detail followed Trump. Public viewing areas along the Seine accommodated 40,000 spectators, who watched the ceremonies unfold on large screens.
After the reopening, the cathedral is expected to welcome 15 million visitors annually, up from 12 million before the fire.
As the evening drew to a close, the cathedral stood as a testament to what collective will and faith can achieve.
“It’s the soul of Paris,” Dumas said. “And tonight, its heart beats again.”
Adamson and Leicester write for the Associated Press. AP journalists Sylvie Corbet, Yesica Brumec, Marine Lesprit and Mark Carlson in Paris contributed to this report.
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