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The Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, struck the doors of Notre Dame three times with his crozier, and a psalm was sung inside in response, at a ceremony on Saturday to mark the reopening of the newly restored cathedral.<\/p>\n
Minutes earlier, the cathedral\u2019s bells rang out and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed guests, including US President-elect Donald Trump, five-and-a-half years after a huge fire<\/a> brought the 860-year-old building close to collapse.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we are. The whole world is watching us. Let\u2019s reopen Notre Dame,\u201d Macron said<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Notre Dame has been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting, its flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles returned to their past glory and white stone and gold decorations shining brightly once again.<\/p>\n Getting Trump to attend, and organising a meeting between him and Ukraine\u2019s leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Elysee Palace ahead of the Notre Dame ceremony, was a coup for Macron as he faces a political crisis at home after parliament ousted<\/a> his prime minister.<\/p>\n Trump shook hands with Britain\u2019s Prince William and heads of state and government as he made his way to the front of the cathedral. He sat next to Macron in the front row.<\/p>\n Earlier, guests stood and applauded as Zelenskiy walked into the cathedral.<\/p>\n Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, a close adviser in Trump\u2019s transition team, also attended, as did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and former French presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.<\/p>\n Earlier, tourists, who still could not go inside the cathedral, snapped pictures with the restored building in the background as final preparations for the event went on inside.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very sad to see it burnt down and all black and ashy but amazing to see it rebuilt. Yeah, it\u2019s very special,\u201d said 26-year-old US tourist Amanda Nguyen, from Texas.<\/p>\n Some Parisians were particularly thrilled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does Notre Dame mean to me? This. Look, it\u2019s here,\u201d said careworker Pascal Tordeux, displaying a tattoo on his arm representing the cathedral. \u201cIt means everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the construction every day from my window, the spire being brought down, being brought back. I saw it burn, I saw it rise again. I followed it day by day,\u201d said Tordeux, who lives across the river from Notre Dame.<\/p>\n On the evening of April 15, 2019, dismayed Parisians rushed to the scene and TV viewers worldwide watched horrified as the fire raged through the cathedral.<\/p>\n \u201cThe planet was shaken on that day,\u201d Macron said ahead of Saturday\u2019s event. \u201cThe shock of the reopening will \u2014 I believe and I want to believe \u2014 be as strong as that of the fire, but it will be a shock of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Forecast strong winds mean the non-religious part of the celebrations, including Macron\u2019s speech, which had been set to be held outside the cathedral, will also be held inside.<\/p>\n Would-be visitors can now book a free ticket online, on the Cathedral\u2019s website. But on Saturday, the first-day bookings could be made for the coming days, all tickets were gone, a message on the site said.<\/p>\n Group visits will be allowed next year \u2014 from February 1 for religious groups or from June 9 for tourists with guides. The Catholic Church expects the cathedral to welcome 15 million visitors each year.<\/p>\n Thousands worked on restoration<\/h2>\n