Engulfed in flames five years ago, the newly restored cathedral of Paris rekindles religious fervor in France
The iconic Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral officially reopened its doors to the public following a ceremony on the evening of Dec. 7, 2024, the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Five years after a fire devoured its roof and spire as the world watched in dismay, the cathedral’s bells broke their silence and rang out under the Paris sky. Some 1,500 people, including 40 heads of state, attended the ceremony, which was broadcast live around the world.
The emotion of French Catholics had already reached its height when, a few weeks earlier, on Nov. 15, the famous statue of Our Lady of the Pillar, miraculously untouched by the flames of April 15, 2019, was the first to make its return to the heart of the cathedral. On this occasion, a torchlit procession organized in part by Knights of Columbus in France set forth through the streets of the capital from Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois Church carrying a replica of the revered 14th-century statue (while the original was driven to the cathedral). The Order was also represented in the cathedral’s reconstruction process through Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, the carpenter in charge of rebuilding the roof structure of the nave and choir, as well as two belfries.
For Arnaud Bouthéon, territorial deputy of France, the widespread enthusiasm aroused by the reopening of Notre-Dame presents a unique opportunity for evangelization, calling the Catholic Church in France to take decisive action.
“This moment of joy confirms the vitality of Christianity in old Europe, which is only waiting to follow its Christian vocation more intensely,” said Bouthéon.
This stance was echoed by Pope Francis himself, who — in a letter read aloud by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio to France, at the reopening ceremony — called on “all the baptized who will joyfully enter this cathedral to feel a legitimate pride and reclaim their faith heritage.”
The Holy Father added: “May the rebirth of this admirable church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France.”
A RECOVERY OF CHRISTIAN MEMORY
If the stakes are this high, it is because the 850-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral is itself inextricably linked with the destiny of France, known as the “eldest daughter of the Church,” and its people. This masterpiece of medieval Gothic architecture, which took nearly 200 years to fully construct, has been the backdrop of many major historical events over the centuries, from the 13th-century reign of King Louis IX — who installed the Holy Crown of Thorns in the cathedral — to the 18th-century French Revolution, when the cathedral was seized and desecrated. Restored in the 19th century, Notre-Dame eventually became a national monument, with the Catholic Church designated its perpetual tenant. It was, until the 2019 fire, France’s most visited site, with some 13 million visitors a year — far ahead of the Eiffel Tower.
“For centuries, Notre-Dame has been a witness to the history of France. To see it suddenly engulfed in flames, close to collapsing, was a real trauma,” recalled Father Pierre Amar, territorial chaplain of France. “With what emotion we recited our rosary on the evening of April 15, 2019, while the firefighters were working to save the towers. Bishop Matthieu Rougé of Nanterre summed up this national trauma well: ‘In one evening, France remembered that it was Christian.’”
The blaze generated an outpouring of condolences and gifts from around the world, with some 340,000 donors from 150 countries investing around 846 million euros to rebuild the Catholic monument. The ensuing five years of work and repair involved 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the French government — which, under the 1905 law defining the separation of church and state, owns the building and was responsible for its restoration — declared its intention to create a “contemporary architectural gesture” to replace the emblematic spire designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. The proposal was met with an immediate and massive outcry, both in France and abroad, including among politicians. Encouraged by public opinion, the French Senate invalidated the executive branch’s proposal, requiring the roof and spire to be rebuilt according to their original designs.
“From a cultural and existential point of view, people today feel lost, which reinforces the attraction effect toward Notre-Dame. As Pope Benedict XVI affirmed, the Church grows through attraction, not proselytism.”
For many Catholics, this unique sentiment around Notre-Dame, and this popular commitment to its history, represents an extraordinary opportunity for evangelization for the Church in France.
“The spire, which collapsed before the eyes of the whole world, is like a finger pointing to heaven, a reminder of God’s existence and the necessary transcendence in our lives,” reflected Father Amar, following the restoration. “By taking us from ashes to light, Notre-Dame helps us to believe that nothing is ever lost. We can turn every trial into a source of strength. This is the direction Christ points us in, through his death on the cross and his resurrection in glory.”
But the opportunity for renewal and re-evangelization is not without its own challenges, especially in a general context of increased de-Christianization and loss of confidence in the institutional Church, following the recent sexual abuse crises. The question, Bouthéon said, is how the Church will respond.
“Will we show the unprecedented flow of tourists entering Notre-Dame that it is a holy and sacred place? Will we direct them toward prayer, or simply fill the space like entertainment professionals?” Bouthéon asked. “French writer Charles Péguy liked to speak of a ‘gentleness armed with firmness, and firmness armed with gentleness.’ If visitors are welcomed with this dual approach, this new missionary opportunity can turn the cathedral into a laboratory for what may happen in the years to come in the West. It thus represents a great responsibility, and the months and years ahead will be decisive.”
THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL
French Knights of Columbus have undertaken initiatives to respond to this missionary call, even before the 2019 fire and France’s designation as a K of C territory in 2020. The Order has been active in France since 2013, through participation in the annual International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes, while the first five councils in France were officially chartered in August 2016. To date, there are more than 1,250 Knights in France spread across 50 parishes in 22 dioceses.
The French Knights’ first major initiative at Notre-Dame took place in 2017 and 2018 in the form of a sound and light show called “Dame de Coeur” (Queen of Hearts). Produced by members of the Order to commemorate the centenary of World War I, the multicolored projection upon the façade of the cathedral was seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
Since 2017, Knights in Paris have helped organize an annual daylong pilgrimage for men called the March of St. Joseph that draws hundreds of participants to walk together through Paris with a statue of St. Joseph and the Christ Child, beginning at Notre-Dame. During the Year of St. Joseph in 2021, Knights organized a Grande Marche de St. Joseph, a 70-day, 950-kilometer (590-mile) walking pilgrimage from Paris to southern France.
More recently, Knights helped organize the Nov. 15 torchlight procession with the replica of the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar to Notre-Dame.
“Around 10 Knights were present around the statue, guiding the procession forward through a crowd of great fervor,” explained Bouthéon, who was among the Knights near the statue. “Meanwhile, 10 other Knights distributed devotional images of the statue, along with the conversion prayer by French author Paul Claudel.”
Nearly 6,000 images were distributed by hand, as a direct evangelization initiative aimed at pilgrims and others. Many people the Knights met in the streets also joined the procession and stayed in front of Notre-Dame for a vigil of thanksgiving and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
On Dec. 8, during the day of the inaugural Mass of reopening, Grand Knight Hugues Desenfant of St. José Luis Sanchez del Rio Council 18407 in Paris was appointed to carry the banner of his parish into the cathedral.
For Bouthéon, the Knights of Columbus’ “adventure” in France is just beginning, based as it is on a past that has something to say to today’s world — above all, the perennial Christian message that offers an antidote to the widespread bewilderment of people in the face of postmodern materialism.
“From a cultural and existential point of view, people today feel lost, which reinforces the attraction effect toward Notre-Dame,” said Bouthéon. “As Pope Benedict XVI affirmed, the Church grows through attraction, not proselytism.”
Recalling an opportunity to climb up Notre-Dame’s spire in December 2023, amid the scaffolding, Bouthéon added, “For me, who is afraid of heights, it was a form of spiritual challenge, even a pilgrimage. When I reached the top, I spent some time in prayer for the mission of the Knights of Columbus in France and around the world, so that from the top of Notre-Dame, from this spire, we might continue to serve in this same missionary spirit, ready for the challenges that await us.”