For more than five and a half years, the bells of the iconic Notre-Dame de Paris were silent. On April 15, 2019, the medieval Catholic cathedral was ravaged by a fire that destroyed its spire, roof, clock, and parts of its stone vault and northern belfry.
After a lengthy restoration effort, the bells were returned and consecrated in September. Last Friday morning, for the first time since the 2019 fire, the bells rang out, first individually, followed by all eight chiming together for several minutes. Although some refinements will be needed over the coming weeks, the test was considered successful.
The 861-year-old cathedral has also welcomed three new bells, which will be centrally located near the altar for use during Mass. Olympic fans will recognize the largest of the three, emblazoned with "Paris 2024," which was rung at the Stade de France by track and field gold medalists during this year’s Summer Games. It was a gift to the cathedral from the Paris 2024 organizing committee.
Although Notre-Dame has been rebuilt and restored to closely resemble the cathedral’s appearance before the fire, it has been given a few modern updates, including a new golden rooster weathervane resembling a phoenix atop the new spire.
Despite a painstaking, years-long investigation, the specific cause of the fire has not been identified. The prevailing hypothesis is that it was sparked accidentally, either by an electrical wiring fault or a still-lit cigarette, rather than arson. However, errors and delays in the fire alarm and reporting system appear to have significantly delayed the arrival of firefighters on the scene. Though invisible to visitors, the cathedral has now been fitted with an automatic firefighting system to detect and suppress blazes with a state-of-the-art misting sprinkler system.
Rising from the ashes:
- Cast by the Cornille Havard foundry in Normandy in 2013 for the cathedral’s 850th anniversary, the eight bells in the north tower are known as Gabriel (the largest, at over four tonnes), Anne-Geneviève, Denis, Marcel, Étienne, Benoît-Joseph, Maurice, and Jean-Marie (the smallest, at 782 kg). In the south tower, the two huge bells rung for major events, including the 13-tonne "bourdon” known as Emmanuel, survived the blaze without damage.
- The official public reopening of the cathedral is set for the weekend of December 7-8, 2024, although further renovations will continue after that date. Up to 15 million visitors are expected annually following the reopening.
- Owned by the French state and with no private insurance, Notre-Dame has been gifted over $900 million for the restoration effort in the form of donations from private individuals, companies, and organizations around the world.
