Notre Dame Cathedral, or Notre Dame de Paris, is an undisputed symbol of France. It is known and loved by people all over the world, even those who are not interested in architecture and history.
15 April 2019 was a dark day in the 800-year history of Notre Dame. Fire nearly destroyed the cathedral. It was saved only thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters. President Macron promised to restore the cathedral in five years, and in 2024, after a long restoration, the renovated Notre Dame reopened to the public. We also managed to prepare an audio guide for this moment to make walking here even more interesting.
And with the promo code PARIS10, you can get a discount on all audio guides.
» READ MORE – Notre Dame with TouringBee audio guide – hear the past, see the present
The fire at Notre Dame de Reims
For our little investigation, it will be very relevant to remember another legendary cathedral in France – Reims Cathedral. By a mystical coincidence, it caught fire in almost the same way as Notre Dame and suffered very similar damage.
The histories of the two sacred temples of France, Notre Dame de Paris and Notre Dame de Reims, are closely intertwined in many ways. Reims Cathedral was built a little later, in the 13th century. Both monuments are approximately the same age and scale, and were created in the same Gothic style. For many centuries, both cathedrals were revered by kings, and their decor was created by the best craftsmen of their time.
In September 1914, during World War I, the temple in Reims was shelled by German artillery. One of the shells hit the scaffolding and a fire broke out. The lead roof of Reims Cathedral melted, and the ceilings collapsed. The stained-glass windows, the monumental figure of Christ, statues and other interior elements were lost. The historical monument suffered a devastating blow. It has not yet been possible to fully recover from it.
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A long and difficult restoration
The destruction of the cathedral caused deep shock among contemporaries around the world. Osip Mandelstam wrote a poem dedicated to the tragedy. In it, the bells of Cologne Cathedral exclaimed with condemnation: «What have you done to our brother in Reims?»
The restoration of the cathedral began even before the end of the war, in 1915. In addition to the French government, private donations made a significant contribution. Among the patrons was the prominent American businessman John Rockefeller Jr. The first stage of restoration lasted more than two decades, until 1938. During this phase, all wooden elements were replaced with reinforced concrete elements. New floors and a new roof were installed, and the stained-glass windows were restored. Despite the enormous amount of work carried out, the cathedral was not completely restored. Restoration work continued in the 1960s and 1990s.
It was only in 2016, more than 100 years after its destruction, that Notre-Dame de Reims appeared in the same form as it did in 1914. Since 2017, repairs have been carried out on the arches of the central portal, some of the interior decoration materials have been replaced, and the sculptures decorating the facades have been reconstructed.
During the reconstruction of Notre Dame, restorers faced a number of serious challenges.
- It was necessary to preserve the structural integrity of the building with the utmost care – because of complex structural balance Gothic cathedrals become extremely vulnerable after damage and can collapse like a house of cards
- There was a shortage of specialists capable of reproducing almost forgotten medieval technologies. The issue of wooden floors destroyed by fire was particularly acute
- It was important to organise the painstaking manual labour of craftsmen, whose work stretched over many years
- Almost every stage required the development of individual engineering solutions and the introduction of new technologies
- Securing stable funding was a separate challenge: restoration on such a scale always requires enormous investment
How was Notre Dame restored?
The question of the timing of Notre Dame’s restoration was acute from the first days after the fire, and over the past century, restoration technologies have advanced significantly, which undoubtedly helped to speed up the process. In addition, the Paris cathedral had an important advantage: it received enormous attention from the public and the media.
Funds were allocated from the city and state budgets for the restoration, private businesses got involved, and crowdfunding was launched. Our editorial team also participated — we held a charity tour in support of the restoration fund. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
The French government announced an international architectural competition. Architectural firms proposed a wide variety of solutions, from glass roofs to carbon fibre structures with energy-generating capabilities. However, the majority of French people were in favour of the cathedral’s classic appearance, and in the end, it was decided to restore it to its historical form.
Now that the reconstruction is complete, it is hard to believe how many discussions and decisions had to be made to restore Notre Dame to its familiar silhouette.
Notre Dame in 2024
Immediately after the fire, the square in front of Notre Dame was closed, and it was impossible to approach the cathedral. But by 2024, it was reopened to the public – Parisians and tourists could freely walk around and admire the renovated façade. Scaffolding still stood along the side walls as work continued on restoring the roof. Progress could be watched live via webcams installed in the city, and news was published on the cathedral’s official Instagram account.
The President of France promised to restore the cathedral in time for the Paris Olympics – in five years. In reality, only the towers were opened: they suffered the least damage. During the Games, visitors were able to climb to the observation deck and see the historic centre of Paris from above. The main interior remained closed until December.
The first services with parishioners took place on 7 December 2024 – this date became an important milestone in the return of Notre Dame to life.
It is difficult to say when the full restoration will be completed. At first, they talked about 8-9 years, then there were predictions of 15 and even 30 years.
But when the cathedral reopened its doors, when tourists returned to the towers and the organ sounded under the arches, there were more than enough impressions. And if you wanted more Gothic architecture, no one prevented you from visiting other cathedrals in France: there were plenty of impressive places outside Paris.
And while waiting for the long-awaited restoration, you can enjoy other sights of Paris and, of course, informative walks around the city with our audio guide.
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What’s happening in 2025
In 2025, the cathedral continues to come back to life. Visitors can already freely enter and see the renovated interior, but some areas are still closed. The towers are still inaccessible – they are scheduled to open in the autumn. Tourists are promised a completely new route with a spiral staircase and an observation deck on the restored roof.
Despite the grand opening in December 2024, the restoration of Notre Dame continues. Somewhere masons are working, scaffolding is being removed, frescoes, stained glass windows and relics are still being restored. It is still a living process – and witnessing it is interesting in its own way. Notre Dame has not just reopened: it is coming back to life before our eyes.
Have a great holiday!
FotoGuelden / pixabay.com 
Yann Caradec / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-2.0 
Public Domain 
Denys Nevozhai / unsplach.com 
Dmitri Zotov / Unsplash
Marcus Yoshida / Unsplash
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