Notre Dame Cathedral to reopen, braces for influx of tourists after devastating fire

PARIS — The world is turning its attention to Paris as its cherished Notre Dame Cathedral returns to its former glory five years after a devastating fire.

The Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, a nonprofit founded in 2017, has led the international fundraising efforts to rebuild and restore the cathedral.

Michel Picaud, president of Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the cathedral was already in a dire state prior to the fire.

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"The fire was a terrible event for us because suddenly we had not only to restore part of the cathedral but to rebuild it, which means the extent of what we had to do was much bigger. We were very hopeful that we would succeed in rebuilding this considerably," said Picaud.

On April 15, 2019, the fire caused the collapse of the cathedral's roof and part of its exterior while destroying the interior.

"I think in the past five years of the restoration, so what was very important was effectively to rebuild the spire of the cathedral, the roof and the spire," said Picaud.

The tower reaches 226 feet tall with a spire reaching 315 feet high, according to the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris.

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Picaud said the same tools used to build the structure in the Middle Ages were used in the restoration with the addition of modern adjustments such as sprinkler systems and security measures to avoid another accident.

The Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris raised nearly $60 million for one of the world's most revered sacred spaces.

"We have about 50,000 donors in the U.S., which makes the U.S. and the American people, I would say, the best friends of Notre Dame with the French people, evidently," said Picaud.

The cathedral was visited by more than 12 million people every year before the fire, according to the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris' site.

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The Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen its doors to believers and tourists the first week of December with an inaugural Mass.

"We selected the date of Dec. 8 because it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary," Picaud said.

"As a cathedral is dedicated to Notre-Dame, so to the Virgin Mary was very important. And for the whole world, I think it's a very important milestone to see this cathedral again, open to visitors, as it will be from next month," he added. 

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A 6-foot medieval statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, known as the "Virgin of Paris," survived the fire and returned to the cathedral on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

The cathedral dates back to the 12th century with the length of the structure stretching 420 feet and 157 feet wide.

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While the roof, spire and interior have been restored, there is still work to be done, Picaud said.

"We will enter a new campaign for the full restoration of the cathedral, because the lower part of the exterior of the cathedral will still need to be restored. We will continue our funding campaign in the next four years for this."

An estimated 15 million annual visitors are expected to book time-allocated slots upon the reopening, according to the cathedral’s website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.