The Notre Dame Cathedral takes shape five years after going up in flames

In the heart of Paris in the Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Pau II city square, seven kilometres from the Eiffel Tower stands one of the divinest places on earth, the Notre Dame cathedral also known as Notre-Dame de Paris, standing for “Our Lady of Paris” as dedication to the Virgin Mary. The cathedral sits on an island in the Seine River that faces the main entrance. The Place of worship whose first foundation is believed to have been laid as early as 1163 witnessed by Pope Alexander III with then Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, behind the whole idea, is an integral part of French and Catholic Church history.

The site is so sacred that an estimate of 13 million pilgrims visit every year with about 30,000 showing up every other day. The average Ugandan catholic can compare it to The Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Namugongo, the Kiwamirembe Catholic Shrine in Nakigalala or the Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine although the numbers and size are incomparable, the sanctity is synonymous.

  It is May and the weather is good with mild temperatures and sunshine in Paris as spring dictates, providing a good atmosphere for tourists to make a move. As a Ugandan who has spent my entire life in the pearl of Africa, I can relate with the weather as I step out of my seven kilometres Uber ride from the Eiffel Tower that has cost €15, roughly Shs 60,000. It’s around 3pm, peak time, for tourists and the Western side which harbours the main entrance has its yard flooded with about 500 people from different parts of the world. While some are taking pictures and strolling around, some can be seen reciting their rosaries from different spots.

 Mia Valeria, 27, from Switzerland is here for the second time, she came to see how far the reconstruction has gone since that infamous fire that shattered a big part of the cathedral on April 15, 2019.

“As a Catholic who has attended Christmas Mass here before, I came here with a group of friends to see the progress and it is encouraging,” she says to me after I have introduced myself as a journalist. She also helps take a photograph of me standing in front of what is supposed to be the main entrance. A 200m walk leads me to the Eastern wing of the Cathedral where artistic impressions of what the new look cathedral will look like are plastered on the fence of the barriers that keep visitors from getting too close to the construction works. A number of cranes can be seen lifting and horizontally shifting construction material from end to end with workers hanging as high as the tallest spires. The works are panning out so well that the sight of smoke and flames from the 2019 fires have been forgotten, the Cathedral is taking shape and already alluring with a third of the reconstruction done.

A quick scan lands my eyes on an elderly lady who I approach and ask whether she speaks English, she reluctantly nods and responds “A little”, giving me the opportunity to introduce myself.

Camille Francesca, 61, is a French native of Paris. She grew up attending Sunday service with herfamily at the cathedral. Now retired, Camille strolls from across the street most afternoons from where one of her nephews operates a library.  She spends most of her days reading Catholic literature before heading to the Cathedral to enjoy the view for about an hour  then heads home.

“I think all Parisians are happy with the progress. I remember the first days after the fire everyone was sad and wondering how the Cathedral was going to be restored but a few years down the road, we are now happy with what we are seeing,” she said.

Currently

The cathedral remains closed five years after the catastrophe believed to have been caused by a cigarette or a malfunction in the cathedral electrical system. Visitors and pilgrims can only see the exterior with construction works visibly going on and expected to be done by December of next year to allow access to the interior. The fire started out from the roof and spread to different areas, it took 15 hours and more than 400 firefighters to put out the fire. By the time all the flames were dead, the spire had collapsed, the roof was in ashes and the walls were unrecognisable. However, there was something to be happy about as the majority of the religious art had been saved. The altar, organs, and windows were hardly affected as the firefighters did a good job despite three of them suffering serious injuries. A cloud of smoke hovered over that part of Paris and for some time and in 216 years, no Christmas mass was held there. Over €840m was put together to fix the effects of the fire spearheaded by then French president Emmanuel Macron.

About the Notre-Dame Cathedral

Length: 128 m (420 ft)

Width: 48 m (157 ft)

Archdiocese: Paris

Archbishop: Laurent Ulrich

Years built: 1163–1345

Founder: Maurice de Sully

Consecrated: May 19, 1182