Notre Dame bells ring out in Paris for first time since 2019 fire

PARIS - The bells of Notre Dame in Paris rang out together on Nov 8 for the first time since

a 2019 fire that devastated the historic cathedral

, AFP reporters said.

The sound of the eight bells in Notre Dame’s northern belfry came a month before the cathedral is to reopen, following five years of painstaking restoration work in the wake of the blaze.

“This is a beautiful, important and symbolic step,” said Mr Philippe Jost, who runs the public body tasked with restoring the cathedral under challenging circumstances.

On the evening of April 19, 2019, Parisians and the world watched in horror as flames ravaged the world heritage landmark and then toppled its spire.

President Emmanuel Macron quickly set the ambitious goal to rebuild Notre Dame within five years and make it “even more beautiful” than before.

Some 250 companies and hundreds of experts were mobilised for a restoration costing hundreds of millions of euros.

Shortly before 10.30am (5.30pm Singapore time) on Nov 8, the bells sounded one by one until all eight chimed in harmony for about five minutes.

“It’s not perfect yet, but we will make it perfect,” said Mr Alexandre Gougeon, who is in charge of the re-installation of the bells.

“This first test was a success,” he told AFP.

Each bell had already been soundchecked individually on Nov 7.

“We all felt an intense emotion,” said the cathedral’s vice-rector, Mr Guillaume Normand, after hearing the bells chiming.

“It’s Nov 8 and Notre Dame is telling us: ‘I’m here, waiting for you’,” he said, calling the sounds “a signal of joy”.

The 2019 fire destroyed part of the northern belfry, requiring it to be restored and the bells to be removed, cleaned of dust and lead, and then returned to their space.

The heaviest bell, called “Gabriel”, weighs over four tonnes, and the lightest, “Jean-Marie”, 800kg.

A weekend of ceremonies is to mark Notre Dame’s re-opening on Dec 7 and Dec 8.

No detailed programme for the event has been published, but Mr Jost told the RTL broadcaster on Nov 8 that there would be “great artists of international standing, which is what the cathedral deserves”.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that former Beatles member Paul McCartney – who is scheduled to perform concerts in Paris on Dec 4 and Dec 5 – could be part of the Notre Dame reopening line-up.

Notre Dame is expected to welcome 14 to 15 million visitors annually after reopening, compared to 12 million in 2017 before the fire. AFP