PARIS, France (LifeSiteNews) — The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral have been heard in the streets of Paris for the first time since the devastating fire in 2019.
On November 8, the eight bells of the Notre Dame Cathedral finally rang in Paris following five years of restoration after the devastating 2019 fire that destroyed the historic church, according to AFP reporters.
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
“This is a beautiful, important and symbolic step,” Philippe Jost, head of the public body tasked with restoring the cathedral, said.
The restoration of the cathedral’s bells marks a significant moment in French history after the beloved church was destroyed by a fire on April 15, 2019. As the fire raged, Parisians stood on the street watching the cathedral burn, many of whom saw the fire as a symbol of destruction of society and culture.
The Cathedral itself was a symbol of France’s rich Catholic history which is inseparable from French culture. The gothic church, filled with detailed art and majestic architecture, survived the French revolution, which destroyed hundreds of churches as the country attempted to wipe out Catholic influence.
Following the 2019 fire, many Catholics saw the destruction as a sign.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider viewed the fire as a “symbolic and evocative” sign of the “spiritual conflagration” that has attacked Catholicism in recent decades.
Similarly, Cardinal Raymond Burke described the fire as a “sobering reflection” on the “attacks upon the infinite beauty of the faith by the grievous sins and crimes of our day.”
Now, many are celebrating the restoration of Notre Dame, voicing hopes that it marks restoration within the Church and society.
“Represents the end of a dark era,” one user wrote. “The symbolism is clear.”
“In Catholic theology, church bells are blessed by priests to serve as audible exorcisms of local demons,” Catholic commentator Dr. Taylor Marshall wrote.
“The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris just began ringing again… just in time,” he added.
Notre Dame Cathedral is scheduled to formally reopen on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.