Macron unveils restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in visit to Paris’s landmark

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00:00Well for now what we have is a delegation with Emmanuel Macron visiting this cathedral going

00:05around all the various parts of it and being explained what has been happening, how this

00:10resumation has been conducted over the past five years. People explaining that indeed it was a huge

00:16challenge to rebuild such a complex building that had been so badly damaged in this fire.

00:22I've got to remember that indeed the spike of the cathedral crashed through the roof in a moment

00:28that I think will stay in the memories of most people who were standing in attendance and also

00:33people viewing what was happening live on television across the world. Of course the damage sustained

00:39by the cathedral was catastrophic but indeed today the people who've been working on it were

00:43explaining to Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Macron and also the mairesse of Paris and other you know

00:49members of this delegation including Monseigneur Ulrich who is the archbishop here that indeed

00:55there had been some small miracles. For example the statue of the Virgin that had been left

01:01unscathed that was even not polluted that just needed to be cleaned up before she could take

01:07her place back inside this cathedral. Of course also the world discovering the new altar which

01:13was crafted out of bronze which is very modern but sits in the middle of this cathedral beautifully

01:19and dialogues with all the decoration around it and of course this renewed light. Emmanuel Macron

01:25saying as he walked in this is it the cathedral renewed reimagined and indeed that is very much

01:31what we have seen here and of course today is an important day for all those who have worked

01:35on this project. That's over 2000 highly skilled people who have been using ancestral techniques

01:43in order to recreate the cathedral exactly as it was when it was built 800 years ago. Some people

01:49even showing the tools that had been recreated in order to get the exact same finish on the stone.

01:55Yeah reimagined renewed as good as new. James these artisans will also be honored today what's

02:02going to happen there? Well indeed one over 1300 of those who've worked on this project

02:11are assembled here today and this will be this is the largest meeting of them. Of course they were

02:16not on this huge construction site at the same time. Well they will be a lot of them assembled

02:21today. Not all of them could make it but they will be standing in attendance as indeed

02:26Emmanuel Macron thanks them for this incredible work that has been achieved. Now I've been

02:31speaking to some of them this morning. One of the carpenters explaining that he really realized

02:36the genius of those who built this roof behind me some 150 years ago. Also a lady who'd taken

02:44care of the interior paintings of the cathedral explaining how 1500 square meters of these painted

02:50need need paintings needed to be renewed in the span of five years which is extremely short.

02:55Which was a huge challenge but she said no one has ever seen has seen this cathedral in this state

03:01in the past century. So of course there is a lot of emotion here today a lot of emotion for all

03:06these people who say that of course this was the challenge this was the building site of their

03:11career that of course it's coming to an end. It's the end of a lot of work but there's also

03:15a very strong emotion and a sense of loss whereas it is coming to a close as you know

03:20the cathedral will be officially open next weekend. Yeah and James tell us more about that emotion

03:26about the anticipation from Parisians to have this landmark reopened to the public in just

03:32over a week's time. Tell us about a bit more about what it means.

03:36Well it means a lot simply because it was a very very powerful image. You've got to remember how

03:42important this landmark is. Of course it is you know it's really ingrained into the popular

03:49culture. There were books films all sorts of stories around Notre-Dame de Paris and as you

03:53know it's also a landmark that is known across the world. So it is of course it was a heart-wrenching

03:59moment when we saw the spike of the cathedral come crashing inside of the cathedral.

04:04Come crashing inside it and there was a lot of emotion. A lot of people actually decided to

04:09participate give money in order to have this cathedral fixed. They will be represented here.

04:15Today there was emotion from around the world. There were donators from the United States for

04:19example who gave money in order to rebuild the cathedral. So yes it is a very emotional moment.

04:24It's very rare to see a cathedral this size being restored so quickly to such an important such an

04:31important work being carried out and indeed there is a lot of emotion today and there will be even

04:35more emotion on the weekend when it opens that's the 7th and 8th.

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