President-elect Donald Trump said he will attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which has undergone extensive restorations following a devastating fire in 2019.
This will be Trump’s first trip abroad since he won the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”
Macron is scheduled to deliver an address on Saturday. The following day, when the cathedral is set to reopen to the public, he will also attend the consecration of its new altar during a Mass.
Macron inspected the restored interior of the medieval Catholic cathedral on Nov. 28 and spoke with some workers involved in the reconstitution.
“The shock of the reopening will, I want to believe, be as powerful as the one of the fire. But it will be a shock of hope,” he said, according to AP.
During the restoration process, stonemasons meticulously repaired the damaged vaulted ceilings.
Adrien Willeme, a stonemason involved in the reconstruction, told AP: “It feels like it was built yesterday, like it’s just been born, even though Notre Dame is very old.”
Powerful vacuum cleaners were initially used to remove toxic dust, followed by applying fine latex layers to clean the stonework. An area equivalent to six soccer pitches of stonework was cleaned and decontaminated.
The restoration also involved cleaning areas untouched by the fire, with cleaning gels used to remove years of accumulated dirt and restore bright colors throughout the cathedral’s walls.
Before the April 15, 2019, fire, the cathedral drew in over a million visitors and worshippers yearly until it was closed to all but artisans and architects working on the restoration.
Built in the 12th century, Notre Dame is considered one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture.
The exact cause of the blaze has not been established.
