France celebrated the opening of the restored, after the devastating 2019 fire, Notre Dame de Paris.

At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, some 40 heads of state and government from around the world, including the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. US President-elect Donald Trump landed in Paris to attend the events. The French president first greeted him and then they headed to Notre Dame.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prince William were also in Paris. It was also announced that Donald Trump met with the heir to the British throne Prince William.

“Fortress” Paris

The festivities will begun at 20:00 GMT in the churchyard. The festivities started with a film showing exactly how the restoration of the famous, by Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris was carried out, while a message from Pope Francis was read and Emmanuel Macron gave a speech.

The festivities:

In Paris security measures were draconian with police forces deployed throughout the center.

The Notre Dame de Paris

The 860-year-old medieval cathedral, a symbol of both France and Paris, has been painstakingly restored, with a new arrow and roof, has returned to its former glory, and its white and gold decorations sparkle more than ever today. On the evening of April 15, 2019, Parisians who rushed to the scene and viewers around the world watched in horror as the roof of the church collapsed from the fire that threatened the main bell towers and the entire structure, which barely escaped complete destruction

Thousands of skilled craftsmen, from carpenters and stonemasons to stained-glass artists, have been working constantly over the past five years, using old methods to restore, repair or replace what had been destroyed or damaged.

“Notre Dame is more than a Parisian or French monument. It is also a world monument,” says historian Damian Byrne.

“It is a landmark, an emblem, a reassuring reference point in a globalized world where everything is constantly evolving,” says Byrne, a member of the scientific council for the restoration of Notre Dame.

The cathedral’s foundation stone was laid in 1163 and its construction continued over the next century, with restoration and additions in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Victor Hugo helped make the cathedral a symbol of both Paris and France when he used it as the setting for his 1831 novel Notre Dame de Paris. Quasimodo, the central character of the novel, has been adapted into Hollywood films, a Disney animated film and a musical.

So much money was raised for its restoration from around the world – more than 840 million euros, according to Macron’s office – that there are funds left to invest further in the building.

The Catholic Church now expects the cathedral to welcome some 15 million visitors a year.