Notre Dame Cathedral's 5-year rebuild post-fire: timeline

(NewsNation) — The Notre Dame Cathedral successful Paris is acceptable to reopen to visitors opening Dec. 8, much than 5 years aft an accidental occurrence destroyed the roof's iconic 12th-century spires and interior.

Visited by much than 12 cardinal radical a twelvemonth earlier the fire, the Notre Dame Cathedral had not had large repairs since the mid-1800s, according to the nonprofit Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris.

Reconstruction began successful 2022 aft a two-year "safety phase" to get the monument unchangeable capable for workers. The restoration task raised $1 cardinal successful pledged donations, with astir $148 cardinal remaining for aboriginal preservation, arsenic of this month.

Here's a timeline of the repairs to reconstruct the 861-year-old Gotchic-era landmark to its beauty.

Fire breaks retired astatine Notre Dame Cathedral

TOPSHOT - Smoke billows arsenic flames pain done the extortion of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral connected April 15, 2019, successful the French superior Paris. A immense occurrence swept done the extortion of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral successful cardinal Paris connected April 15, 2019, sending flames and immense clouds of grey fume billowing into the sky. The flames and fume plumed from the spire and extortion of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of radical a year. A spokesperson for the cathedral told AFP that the woody operation supporting the extortion was being gutted by the blaze. (Photo by Fabien Barrau / AFP) (Photo by FABIEN BARRAU/AFP via Getty Images)

April 15, 2019: A occurrence erupted successful the precocious portion of the cathedral, causing extended harm to the woody roof, precocious walls and woody spires. Many of the creation and spiritual artifacts were moved to safety, though immoderate suffered fume damage.

Officials astatine the clip said the nonstop origin of the occurrence was unknown, but they believed either a abbreviated electrical circuit oregon a cigaret could person sparked the flames.

Its stained-glass windows were spared, and nary 1 died.

April 17, 2019: French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to person the tract rebuilt successful 5 years, the Associated Press reported.

Preparation for rebuilding begins

FILE - Charles, 1 of the carpenters puts the skills of their medieval colleagues connected amusement connected the plaza successful beforehand of Notre Dame Cathedral successful Paris, France, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. France's Notre Dame Cathedral's reconstruction is progressing capable to let its reopening to visitors and masses astatine the extremity of adjacent year, little than six years aft the aft the shocking occurrence that tore done its roof, French officials said arsenic an grounds pays tribute to hundreds of artisans moving connected it. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

April 2019 - August 2021: The archetypal measurement was the information signifier successful which experts conducted assessments to find the damage's grade and to unafraid the country to forestall further damage.

A squad of scaffolders, enactment technicians, aerial level workers and crane operators worked to region the woody spire astatine the apical of the building, which weighed 200 tons and dangled implicit 300 feet high, threatening to illness into the cathedral.

Then, workers had to physique a scaffolding operation wrong to support the vaults and supportive framework.

This $197 cardinal information signifier besides included installing tarps supra the vaults to support them from rainfall and pb decontamination arsenic good arsenic wrapping and protecting gargoyles.

June 2020: The pandemic halted enactment for a fewer months, but teams were inactive connected way for their five-year timeline.

August 2020: Restoration of the 8,000-pipe organ began. The artifact survived the occurrence but was covered successful toxic pb dust, the Associated Press reported.

Notre Dame reconstruction begins

A crane lifts a portion of the caller extortion of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, Thursday, May 25, 2023, adjacent Angers, occidental France. Carpenters gathering a caller timber framework for the fire-ravaged extortion of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral are utilizing the aforesaid tools and techniques arsenic their medieval predecessors. For them, moving with hand-axes to manner oak beams has been similar stepping backmost successful time. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Schaeffer)

Once the tract was unafraid enough, reconstruction began successful 2022.

Spring 2022: Glassmakers and locksmiths began cleaning and restoring the stained-glass windows.

August 2023: Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who was appointed to oversee the project, unexpectedly died. President Macron praised him arsenic the "greatest soldier."

December 2023: A aureate rooster, resembling a phoenix with spiritual relics, was placed atop the cathedral's spire, symbolizing the monument's rebirth. The rooster is besides a nationalist emblem of France and a awesome of Christianity.

The transverse and the rooster atop the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral spire, Thursday, March 14, 2024 successful Paris. Scaffolding has enshrouded Notre Dame Cathedral successful Paris since a 2019 occurrence destroyed its spire and extortion and threatened to illness the full medieval structure. After an unprecedented planetary reconstruction effort, the scaffolding is astatine past starting to peel away. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

February 2024: The woody spire was completed. "This accomplishment allowed the iconic silhouette of the spire to erstwhile again grace the Paris skyline, offering a glimpse of the cathedral’s aboriginal grandeur," said Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris connected its website.

March 8, 2024: The last trusses were installed connected the extortion of the nave, which is the central, largest abstraction of the cathedral wherever spiritual services are held.

May 24, 2024: The Croix du Chevet was reinstalled. The iconic transverse was the lone portion of the cathedral that did not burn, according to the AP.

Notre Dame de Paris cathedral's Croix du Chevet is lifted earlier its reinstallation, Friday, May 24, 2024, successful Paris. The Croix du Chevet is the lone portion of the cathedral extortion that did not pain successful the devastating April 2019 fire. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

September 2024: Eight historical bells from the cathedral’s northbound operation were reinstalled aft they were cleaned and renovated.

Nov. 7, 2024: Three caller bells were delivered, 1 of which was utilized successful the city’s Stade de France stadium during this year’s Paris Olympic Games. They volition beryllium placed supra the altar and rung during Mass.

A bell, center, that Olympic medalists rang astatine the Paris Games, is seen earlier being installed successful Notre Dame Cathedral, up of the monument's grandiose reopening pursuing a monolithic occurrence and five-year reconstruction effort, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 successful Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Nov. 15, 2024: A famed statue of the Virgin Mary and kid with achromatic flowers astatine its basal returned to the cathedral aft being moved to a adjacent religion pursuing the fire. Hundreds of radical held candles during a procession done the streets of Paris to commemorate the event.

A replica of the Virgin Mary statue is carried from Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois religion to Notre-Dame Cathedral during a procession, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 successful Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Notre Dame Cathedral reopens

Nov. 29, 2024: President Macron conducts a last sojourn to the cathedral up of its reopening. His two-hour circuit volition beryllium televised live.

Dec. 8, 2024: The Notre Dame Cathedral volition reopen to the nationalist for the archetypal clip since the occurrence with its archetypal Mass. The time falls successful enactment with the vacation the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.