The world-famous Notre-Dame de Paris will reopen to visitors a little less than 6 years after a devastating conflagration decimated the structure and shocked the world.
The cathedral, which first began construction in 1163, will welcome tourists again in December 2024, a little late to greet the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, but in time to meet the bold deadline set by French President Emmanuel Macron in the immediate aftermath of the April 2019 fire.
The announcement was made by French officials.
The army general in charge of the restoration project, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, told the Associated Press that the mighty 1859 spire that collapsed in the fire will be replaced, with signs of its construction becoming evident starting this year.
"My job is to be ready to open this cathedral in 2024. And we will do it," Gen. Georgelin said. "We are fighting every day for that and we are on a good path."
On March 7, a free exhibition about the restoration of the landmark, which is being undertaken using the same medieval methods and materials that originally built the icon, opens to visitors in an underground space in front of the cathedral.
The laborious and meticulously planned reconstruction project has been well-documented by several television programs, including PBS's Nova (membership required to watch) and on the U.K.'s BBC Two (click here to watch).
Below, watch another BBC Two documentary, this one from 2020, that chronicles the steps taken in the fire's aftermath to stabilize the building and plot a course to save it.
