We're getting a first look inside the restored Notre-Dame cathedral as French President Emmanuel Macron steps inside for a televised tour - click the button above to watch live
Paris's Gothic jewel was hit by a devastating fire in 2019 which caused its 19th-Century spire to crash to the ground
Notre-Dame's revamped interior has been kept a closely-guarded secret - with only a few images released over the years marking the progress of the €700m (£582m) renovation
Macron is touring the cathedral with his wife and and the Archbishop of Paris, before giving a speech
The cathedral reopens to the public on 7 December
Image source, EPAA little bit earlier, the tour group was examining some of the statues that make up the Vow of King Louis XIII.
They were told that one of the statues was being restored four months before the fire in April 2019. But after the fire, it was covered in soot and lead discolouration.
The group heard that the lead on its hands was left as it is for its "symbolic value".
Macron is now visiting the organ at Notre-Dame, which is the largest in France.
He is told that this is the cherry on top when it comes to the restoration.
"We couldn't call this the restoration without restoring this piece here," he is told.
The restoration team knew it would take five years to restore because it has eight thousand pipes.
The pipes were taken out of the cathedral to three different workshops in the south of France, where they worked on cleaning them.
The team also took the opportunity to replace some parts, like the hammer that hits the pipes, because they haven't been replaced in 50 years.
Macron is hearing how heating, burning fuel, and various other factors contributed to masking things in the cathedral.
The visitors were told that murals and paintings were not only damaged in the fire but also covered in grime over the centuries. They have now been cleaned using a technique that targeted the accumulated grease, and any missing colours have been filled in.
Macron is also told that It was a "real effort" to restore all the sculptures, paintings, and stained glass at the same time. However, by finishing the work, the restoration team has managed to "bring the lustre back to the cathedral".
France's president is now being shown the Clôture Nord du Chœur, a sculpted wall depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ.
Emmanuel Macron is told that the stone sculptures are among the oldest parts of Notre-Dame Cathedral, dating back to the 13th Century.
There was an "advanced stage of degradation" on the wall, so a "lot of cleaning" was carried out, Macron is told. A "key stage" in restoring the sculpted wall involved re-fixing and consolidation.
He is informed that halos on the wall had been "severely worn away" before the fire in April 2019.
Macron hears that workers had to ensure they "re-stabilised" the piece to prevent further wear.
Image source, ReutersThe Gothic spire was engulfed in smoke and flames on 15 April 2019
Notre-Dame's Gothic spire was an iconic part of the cathedral. It collapsed during the 2019 fire, a major loss that broke the hearts of many in France.
The renowned spire dates back to the 12th Century and has undergone several changes throughout the building's history. During the French Revolution, it was dismantled but was later rebuilt in the 1860s.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockMacron is taken to the spire in the Notre-Dame
Macron is at the spire of Notre-Dame.
He was told that this spire symbolises Notre-Dame and showcases the skill of those who worked on it, as well as the generosity of the donors.
The French president was informed that Notre-Dame couldn't have achieved this without the help of project managers, engineers, designers, the public body, and the sacrifices made by their families to support these workers.
He was praised for putting so much energy into the project to make it successful.
Macron has been heavily involved in the renovation of Notre-Dame and has repeatedly visited the cathedral throughout the process.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe cathedral, as Macron visits, is bare.
However, Notre-Dame will eventually be fitted with new, specially designed furniture. This includes sleek pews approved by the Paris archdiocese.
Image source, ReutersPresident Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron are now up on the roof among the wooden beams.
They are told that large pieces of wood came from all over France and from donated oak trees.
The tour of the roof continues, with the couple being informed that different timber pieces needed to be labelled to keep them apart.
Macron hears that each piece was made from one tree.
Hugh Schofield
BBC Paris correspondent
Image source, PA MediaI had a glimpse inside, and what I saw was enough to convince me that it is a spectacular experience.
It’s not just renovation or a rebuilding of the structure of the roof; it is also a clean-up of the interior, which was not just the cleaning up of the fire, but on top of that, there was plenty of crud and soot since the last restoration in the 1950s, so all of that has now come off.
Restorers and cleaners have been using very fine techniques, and the stained glass windows that had all been encrusted from the generations of crud and the fire have all been cleaned, adding to this sense of light that is now coming in.
There is a new, fresh face to this cathedral.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThe French president and his group have just passed one of Notre-Dame's famous rose windows.
The cathedral boasts three of these windows, all dating back to the 13th Century.
After the fire in April 2019, cathedral spokesman André Finot told BFMTV that they didn't seem to have been affected by the blaze.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThe president was shown the statue of the 14th-century Virgin with Child, one of Notre-Dame's symbols, which was rescued from the fire.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThe French president is now inside the cathedral, speaking with Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of France's national monuments.
Villeneuve discusses the reconstruction process, explaining that workers had to be cautious about items falling on their heads.
He mentions challenges with the weather and the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that they "never lost sight" of their goals.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockMacron's group has entered the restored cathedral.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockPresident Emmanuel Macron is standing outside Notre-Dame, listening to the introduction of his tour of the medieval cathedral.
He is accompanied by France's Première Dame, the minister for culture, and the mayor of Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived at Notre Dame with a TV crew to show the world the restored cathedral, five and a half years after it was devastated by fire.
Stay with us as we bring you the first glimpse inside the cathedral. You can also click Watch Live at the top of this page to view our live stream.
While we wait to see what the inside of Notre-Dame looks like, let's watch this video of the fire and the refurbishment efforts that followed.
Notre-Dame's transformation five years after fire
These images show the cathedral as it was burning, alongside pictures of the newly restored building taken last Sunday.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, ReutersNow, in late 2024, the Parisian monument is set to reopen. But how was it rebuilt?
Once the site was made safe, there was a debate about whether to modernise the building, with ideas like a glass roof and a massive flame to replace the spire.
These ideas were ultimately rejected, and the reconstruction remains largely true to the original.
In the end, an estimated 2,000 masons, carpenters, restorers, roofers, foundry workers, art experts, sculptors, and engineers worked on the project.
The renovation has involved so many resources that it hasn't only repaired the cathedral but also given a huge boost to French crafts; trades like stone carving have seen a big increase in apprenticeships thanks to the publicity.
Image source, EPAThousands gathered in the streets of Paris as flames engulfed the cathedral, many watching through tears.
Visiting the scene, President Macron said Notre-Dame was a building “for all French people”, even those who had never been there. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo called the cathedral "part of our common heritage".
“No other site represents France quite like Notre-Dame,” the BBC’s Henri Astier wrote at the time. “It is impossible to overstate how shocking it is to watch such an enduring embodiment of our country burn.”
While the building was still aflame, President Macron tweeted: “Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight."
Many of us remember these images from five years ago, showing the cathedral engulfed in flames, with firefighters battling to control the blaze while crowds of Parisians looked on.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images