Notre Dame re-opens five yrs after fire

PARIS, Dec 08 (AFP): The archbishop of Paris re-opened Notre Dame cathedral on Saturday by symbolically knocking on the doors and entering the 12th-century landmark which has been restored after a devastating fire in 2019.

Wearing new designer vestments and carrying a staff cut from one of the roof beams that survived the inferno, Laurent Ulrich joined hundreds of VIPs inside the Gothic masterpiece for a two-hour ceremony.

Ulrich commanded the cathedral to "open your doors" and he entered the magnificently-restored edifice.

US President-elect Donald Trump sat on the front row as guest of honour next to French President Emmanuel Macron, with invitees marvelling at the freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lightening installed as part of the cathedral's overhaul.