Return visitors to revitalised Notre-Dame cathedral will be astonished

Seven wonders within Notre-Dame, Paris

Since a fire tore through 850-year-old Notre-Dame in 2019, captured on TV news cameras and aired to billions around the world, it’s fair to say the landmark has been catapulted to a new level of global awareness.

Notre-Dame de Paris’ iconic west facade after five years of restoration works.Credit: Getty Images for Notre-Dame de Paris

“The fire made it much more famous than it already was,” says Father Guillaume Normand, vice-rector of Notre-Dame Cathedral, on a tour of the restored site, which reopened to the public on December 7, 2024 after more than five years of restoration work. It’s immediately clear that intrigue around the blaze, now written into the cathedral’s centuries-old narrative, remains high and has morphed into a key element of the Notre-Dame experience.

The full restoration is far from complete – spindly cranes and a gauze of scaffolding still cling to sections of the gothic exterior –but visitors, both new and returning, will be delighted by what there is to see and discover post-rebuild.

Let there be light

November 29, 2024: Notre-Dame de Paris’ bright interiors before its reopening.Credit: AP

Beyond critical structural restoration work, Notre-Dame’s interiors were given an extensive clean, stripping back soot from the fire and the caked-on grime of centuries. Bright and positively gleaming, the cream-coloured stone looks brand new. The now-pristine cathedral may have lost some of its mystique in the deep clean, though for many return visitors it’s as if someone has switched on a light for the first time. Tip: time your visit on a sunny afternoon to see the cathedral at its most vibrant and illuminated.

Come home to roost

Notre-Dame of Paris’ rooster on display at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine.Credit: Getty Images

Of all the creatures adorning Notre-Dame’s exterior, its single rooster atop the 96-metre spire is perhaps its most curious. The bird once contained three important Christian relics (relics from St Denis and St Genevieve and a piece of the Crown of Thorns). When the spire collapsed in the blaze, it was assumed the rooster was lost. Remarkably it survived with its relics, damaged but intact. From a distance, you can observe the new golden rooster, designed by chief architect of historic monuments Philippe Villeneuve, atop the rebuilt spire. But the original is on display at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine museum, part of a permanent Notre-Dame de Paris collection. After its miraculous survival, it’s become a symbol of hope for the people of Paris. See citedelarchitecture.fr

To avoid the (even bigger) crowds, join the congregation

Christmas queues during Notre-Dame’s reopening month.Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Pre-blaze, Notre-Dame had about 23,500 visitors a day. That number reached 32,000 in the months after the reopening. You can pre-book a free entry slot online to skip those serpentine queues, but if you’re trying to dodge peak crowds of up to 3000 within the cathedral (yes, really), the best time to go is on a weekday before 8am mass. Crowd barriers are still relatively empty, and the cathedral just feels more mystical without the crush of all ye faithful. As a bonus, you can join in or observe the 8am mass in French, and savour the cathedral’s world-famous acoustics. Truly electrifying.

Many artefacts and graves were unearthed

Archaeologists from the INRAP Institute uncovered graves and artefacts in the nave of Notre Dame de Paris.Credit: AP

The fire gave archaeologists a rare opportunity to excavate Notre-Dame’s transept crossing (between the choir and the nave where worshippers sit). They recovered more than 1000 long-lost artefacts and remains, including a bust of Christ’s face, limestone torso fragments, and two lead coffins – one identified as that of French Renaissance poet, Joachim de Bellay. The artefacts, which were temporarily displayed at the Cluny museum, are yet to find a permanent home. Meanwhile, you can view some of the cathedral’s priceless objects in the newly renovated treasury for an admission of €12. See notredamedeparis.fr/en

Pause at the Pieta for a stirring symbol of the fire

Molten lead was left in Christ’s palm in the Pieta statue as a reminder of the fire.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

One of Notre-Dame’s most notable statues, Pieta by 17th-century sculptor Nicolas Coustou, depicting Mary holding the limp body of Christ, emerged from the fire mostly unscathed. It had somehow dodged the worst of the downpour of molten lead and a collapsed rib vault – which many faithful were quick to call a “miracle”. Deepening the intrigue, it was later discovered that some of the lead had fused into the nail-pierced palm of Christ. Eerie, non? The lead was left in place as a sombre, visible reminder of the fire.

Admire its newest designer pieces

The Guillaume Bardet-designed altar; chairs by Ionna Vautrin.Credit: Getty Images for Notre-Dame de Paris

You don’t get to the age of 850 without amassing an impressive patchwork of design styles, but some of Notre-Dame’s newest pieces will be of particular interest to design buffs. French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet, renowned for his sinuous minimalism, was commissioned to reimagine various liturgical objects and furniture destroyed in the fire, including the altar, pulpit, tabernacle and baptistery. Fellow French designer Ionna Vautrin is behind the 1500 supremely modern-looking solid-oak chairs in the heart of the nave and choir, assigning them a “posture of humility” to emphasise the dizzying heights of the cathedral.

View one of the world’s most important Christian relics

One of the world’s most documented Christian relics, the Crown of Thorns.Credit: Getty Images

Among significant Catholic relics are a reputed piece of the True Cross and a Nail of the Passion, but the crowning glory (pun intended) is the Crown of Thorns – yes, that crown, used to mock Christ during his crucifixion, according to the Gospels. It’s said to have been acquired by King Louis IX in 1238 and entrusted to Notre-Dame to preserve. Encased in glass, the Crown of Thorns is brought out for viewing on the first Friday of each month from 3pm-5pm, for visitors to kiss or touch. Even secular types can appreciate the historic heft of the object, though be wary of long lines and zealous flash photography.

The details

See
For Notre-Dame of Paris information and reservations, see notredamedeparis.fr/en

Stay
Nine minutes’ walk from Notre-Dame de Paris, Hotel Dame des Arts in the Rive Gauche has modern rooms and suites, an all-day restaurant Pimpan, a cracking rooftop terrace bar with Eiffel Tower views, and is ideally placed to explore Boulevard Saint-Germain and the historic sights of the Latin Quarter, including the Pantheon, Jardin du Luxembourg, Rue Mouffetard food market, and famous bookstore Shakespeare & Company. From $620 (€350) a night. 4 Rue Danton, 75006 Paris. See damedesarts.com

Fly
Virgin Australia customers can fly to Paris from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth from June 2025, and Melbourne from December 2025, with partner airline Qatar Airways via Doha. See virginaustralia.com

The writer travelled as a guest of Hotel Dame des Arts and Virgin Australia.