The famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is set to reopen next month for the first time since a devastating fire crippled the beloved church in 2019.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, took a tour of the cathedral early on Friday. Macron marveled at the soaring light stone ceilings — now cleansed of soot and centuries of grime — as he toured the more than 800 year old restored cathedral.
He visited the cathedral's rafters, known as "the forest," where 1,500 trees were used to build the frame holding the new cathedral roof.
Macron thanked more than 1,200 artisans at the cathedral for their tireless work in restoring the Gothic landmark, which is a World Heritage site and in the past has drawn more than 13 million visitors a year. He called the fire at the iconic church a "national wound" and lauded Notre Dame as the "soul of our country."
