The Friends of Notre Dame de Paris collective announced that the 850-year-old cathedral, which was partly destroyed by a horrific fire in 2019, will reopen in 2024. “We’re officially saying that the new cathedral is now saved, that it’s solid on its pillars, that its walls are solid,” General Jean-Louis Georgelin, who leads the restoration organization, told CNN. The cause of the fire has still not been determined, and there was some debate surrounding whether or not the rebuilt structure would be an exact replica of the medieval Catholic cathedral or something more modern. After the coronavirus pandemic delayed the building’s rehabilitation, French President Macron announced the refurbished structure will be a copy of the famous original.
