Notre Dame will host a Christmas Eve service for the first time since it opened

The first night service will be held for visitors after the opening of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris restored after the fire on the occasion of Catholic Christmas. French television channel TV5 Monde reported on December 24.

"Many faithful were able to attend one of the traditional Christmas masses on Tuesday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, where Christmas is being celebrated again for the first time since the 2019 fire," the report said.

The faithful began gathering in front of the cathedral from 15:00 local time (17:00 Moscow time) to attend the traditional services. Several services were scheduled for Christmas celebrations under the restored vaults of the more than 860-year-old Gothic building at 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00 before the traditional midnight service.

In April 2019, the largest fire in history broke out at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris. The spire collapsed, the flames engulfed the supporting structure. As established by the investigation, the fire started at the top, where restoration work was underway at the time. The exact cause of the fire was not made public.

December 7 this year at the opening ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron during a speech expressed gratitude to all those who participated in the restoration of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris. He also noted the merits of 340 thousand people who made donations for the restoration of the cathedral, and stated that the fire affected not only the citizens of France, but also people outside its borders.