PARIS (AP) — Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, its historic bells muted following incidents Catastrophic fires of 2019soon another fresh chime sounds.
On Thursday, the Gothic landmark handed over three new bells, including the one used at the city’s Stade de France stadium during this year’s Olympics. Paris Olympics.
The Olympic bell, a gift from the Paris 2024 organizing committee, will be placed above the altar alongside two smaller bells named Chiara and Carlos, and the bell will be rung during Mass, officials said. .
They arrived before Notre Dame Cathedral. Reopening on December 8th This is a milestone in the painstaking restoration and modernization of the 861-year-old cathedral, made famous around the world by Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of Notre Dame Cathedral, expressed his gratitude for the bell’s arrival at the ceremony.
“What a joy,” he said. “At the most important moments of the Mass, these bells toll, just as the winners of a competition celebrate their victory.”
During the Paris 2024 Games, the iconic The Olympic bell was rung by each track and field champion.
This one is marked “Paris 2024” and the other two are images of Notre Dame Cathedral’s iconic rosary window and the Monstrance, the religious vessel at the center of the cathedral’s altar. It is decorated with a round symbol that combines .
Crafted in the famous Cornille-Avar foundry in Ville-dieu-les-Poères, Normandy, this bell embodies France’s renowned bell-making tradition.
At a solemn moment, Dumas consecrated the bell with holy water and a tree branch.
Standing in the plaza outside the cathedral, he and Paris 2024 Organizing Committee Chairman Tony Estinguetto struck the bell with a mallet to mark the occasion.
“What a powerful symbol to see the Paris 2024 Bell given a second life. This bell has brought us so many emotions during the Games. ” Estinguett said.
The bell replaced three previously installed near Notre Dame Cathedral’s 19th-century spire, which dramatically collapsed in a fire that tore through the cathedral’s rafters and roof.
Officials said the new bell will be installed elsewhere in the cathedral, and its reinstallation will further expand the soundscape of Notre Dame’s daily life.
they participate Eight historic bells in the cathedral’s north tower reinstalled in September After cleaning and renovation.
These bells (Gabriel, Anne-Geneviève, Denis, Marcel, Etienne, Benoît-Joseph, Maurice and Jean-Marie) were originally cast in 2013 to commemorate Notre Dame’s 850th anniversary.
The cathedral’s two large bells remained intact in the south tower and were unaffected by the fire, the official added.
More than 250 companies and hundreds of skilled craftsmen participated in the reconstruction of Notre Dame.
As Notre Dame Cathedral continues to undergo restoration, the Olympic bell is not the only symbol of old and new encounters.
Located at the top of the newly designed spire, golden chickenReimagined by lead architect Philippe Villeneuve, it combines the cathedral’s ancient spirit with modern touches.
The weathervane resembles a phoenix with flames licking its wings and is depicted as a symbol of hope and resurrection.
