The sound of psalms and hymns echoed hauntingly across Paris.
Musical notes reaching the ears of those beyond the newly restored walls of Notre-Dame.
Despite the bitterly cold and driving rain, masses lined the Seine to witness and be near this beloved French monument at its moment of triumph.
The lights illuminating the spire on top and all the way around the cathedral made it a proud centrepiece of this city on this night.
There were tears of joy this time from some of those who watched under umbrellas, who had come to see and hear the historic reopening from a distance.
And it wasn’t just the devout who showed up, there were tourists who had travelled from afar to see the cathedral rise again from ashes.
One woman from the United States described it as “a once-in-a-lifetime experience”.
It was absolutely amazing,” she said, “it’s hard to find the words to describe how it felt seeing it all lit up, and hear the music. I loved it.”
Another, a Parisian, told me how her heart “broke” as she watched the fire unfold five and a half years ago, “and now the city has its soul back”.
Some were seen praying on their knees in the damp. Another man, from Spain, was so excited he high-fived me – simply saying one word, “incredible”.
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A priest who had spent the last two and a half years helping to refurbish the inside of the cathedral, Father Maxime Deurbergue, described the cathedral as a “spiritual lighthouse”.
He described the different artisans and workers coming together over the years of restoration, saying: “Everything that humanity can do at its best is here gathered in a peaceful way.”
The marvel of this restoration is not just the speed at which it has been achieved but the perfect mix of past present and future.
It has preserved its history, used modern technologies from the present to secure its future for centuries to come.
And as the crowds applauded the illuminated words of “merci” in different languages across its walls – it has become obvious, since Notre-Dame fell, that this piece of the French cultural identity extends far beyond these borders.
