PARIS — This weekend’s reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral repeats some of the measures used during the Paris Olympics, as well as banning tourists from the cathedral’s island location in the heart of the French capital. The event will be held under strict security conditions. .
After more than five years of recovery from the fire that destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, invitation-only ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday will mark the beginning of its rebirth.
Police chief Laurent Nuñez said only those with an invitation and residents of the island would be allowed to enter the Île de la Cité, in the middle of the Seine. Notre Dame Cathedral is located on Ile de la Cité, and it is customary to hum songs with tourists.
He said around 50 heads of state and government will be in attendance, and security arrangements have been put in place with police measures cordoning off much of central Paris for the Paris Games’ glitzy opening ceremony. He said that
“A very high level of security will be applied,” Nunez said in an interview published in Le Parisien on Monday.
The first celebration, which begins Saturday afternoon, will combine religious ritual and show business. According to the cathedral’s website, Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will preside over the reopening service and, along with his staff, will bang on Notre Dame’s shuttered doors to reopen them.
The archbishop will also symbolically evoke Notre Dame Cathedral’s roaring grand organ. A fire that melted the cathedral’s lead roof covered the giant musical instrument in toxic dust. 8,000 pipes, ranging from the size of a pen to more than 10 meters tall, have been painstakingly disassembled, cleaned and reconditioned.
Psalms, prayers and songs will also be performed. French President Emmanuel Macron will also be in attendance and address VIP guests. musical show
After the service, opera singer Pretty Yende from South Africa and Julie Fuchs from France appeared. Chinese pianist Lang Lang. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Benin-born singer Angelique Kidjo. Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji and others will perform at a concert Saturday night for the cathedral and those who took part in its reconstruction, broadcaster France Télévision said.
The police chief said a cordon will be in place from Saturday evening until Sunday night, closing off the entire island of La Cité, the southern bank of the Seine and nine bridges on the river. He said only those involved in the ceremony and residents would be allowed to enter. He added that all shops on the island, many of which cater to tourists, and boat tours to and from the island will be closed on weekends. Sunday mass and buffet
The Archbishop of Paris will also lead the inaugural Mass and dedication of the new altar on Sunday morning.
Nearly 170 bishops from France and other countries will take part in the celebration, as well as priests from all 106 parishes of the Diocese of Paris, according to the cathedral’s website.
After the Mass, there will be a “fraternity buffet” for the poor.
A public viewing area with a capacity of 40,000 people will be set up on the south bank of the Seine, where viewers can follow the events of the two days on screens, the police chief said.
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