August 15: Notre-Dame de Paris celebrates the Feast of the Assumption
For the first time since the 2019 fire, the Assumption was celebrated this Friday, August 15, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, before a large crowd of both believers and non-believers. Barely eight months after its reopening, the building has already become the most visited French monument.
They've been waiting for this moment for six years: Notre-Dame-de-Paris resurrected, the starting point for thousands of pilgrims to celebrate the Assumption and their cathedral rediscovered. On this August 15, Geneviève and her friends couldn't imagine themselves anywhere else. "We're happy to be back in the cathedral, and it's been magnificently renovated," she rejoices. On the square, there's fervor, and inside, splendor.
During the mass, the faithful were able to admire the restoration of the stained-glass windows, framework, and Gothic columns. As they left the service, tourists from all over the world were deeply moved. "Breathtaking. It's so beautiful, so new, so grand. There are no words to describe it," marveled one woman. Catholics were present, as well as curious onlookers. Visitors are even more numerous than before the fire: nearly 35,000 per day since the reopening. With 12 million visits expected by 2025, Notre-Dame is expected to once again become the most visited monument in France.
Watch the full report in the video above
Francetvinfo
