Notre Dame cathedral in Paris to reopen in 2024

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - The iconic Notre Dame cathedral in Paris will reopen to the public for worship and tourism in 2024, Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said on Thursday during her visit to the site.

A massive fire in April 2019 ravaged the medieval catholic cathedral destroying the wooden framework, clock, and classic stained glass windows along with statues and other paintings.

Malak said the government was confident of opening the cathedral by 2024 when a large part of the restoration work will be completed.

The reopening of the popular tourist site is timed with the Paris 2024 Olympics, when thousand spectators are expected to arrive in France.

The restoration and construction of the Notre Dame at the cost of €850 million involve three phases. The first phase of cleaning the rubble in the interiors, and securing the stability of the building, has been completed.

The second phase involving work on the frames and roofs, and the reconstruction of the spire will begin at the end of the summer, while the third and last phase will focus on the exterior reconstruction.