Bells of Notre Dame sound in Paris for the first time since 2019 fire

April 2019 saw the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burn, with the iconic spire collapsing as the metal roof fell. Now, a little over five years later, the cathedral is about to reopen to the public.

French President Emmanuel Macron set an ambitious goal to have the building reopened in five years back in 2019. Now, just a little over five years later, the renovated cathedral’s bells rang for the first time on Friday, Nov. 8.

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Notre Dame’s eight bells did not fall during the original disaster, which could have caused much further structural collapse. Experts say the bells could have acted like wrecking balls, destroying both towers, and the entire cathedral with them.

Old bells were replaced in 2013, due to some older bronze bells becoming discordant with time. One new bell joined older survivors of the fire for use during the Paris Olympics in July 2024.

Onlookers and residents of Paris heard the bells on Friday ring one at a time, until they all chimed in harmony for around five minutes. The cathedral will be fully reopened to the public on Dec. 8. Macron will speak to mark the occasion on Dec. 7.

The bells of Notre Dame in Paris rang out together on Friday for the first time since a 2019 fire that devastated the historic cathedral, AFP reporters said.https://t.co/P7BQwDtrLZ pic.twitter.com/zvjTbnlvsP

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 8, 2024

Now that the bells are back, the next thing to be finished is the famous organ, which did not sustain fire damage. The organ did have water damage due to firefighters putting out the flames, but it was saved and restored. Every piece was dismantled and cleaned or decontaminated. The organ will be played at the reopening ceremony later this year.