SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral rang this evening in Paris for the first time since a fire devastated the landmark in 2019. After that fire, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that the ravaged cathedral would be repaired within 5 years. And tonight, the doors of Notre Dame opened again. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley was there to witness it all and joins us now. Hey, Eleanor.
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: What an emotional evening.
BEARDSLEY: It really was. You know, that bell you're talking about is a 13-ton bell called Emmanuel, and they've just put it back up in that spire in November. You know, remember the church, what we saw - the roof collapse, the spire collapsed, there was a huge hole, twisted metal.
DETROW: Yeah.
BEARDSLEY: It's like a brand new church. You go in. The soaring ceilings are white. The stones are all white now. The gray is gone. The glowing golden chandeliers - it just - it's absolutely pristine. The clergy - I mean, it was something from the movies tonight. You know, the archbishop and all the bishops with him - they wore their long cloaks and their miters. There's a - big hats. And these vestments were all made for the occasion.
And then, Scott, the ceremony, the rituals, the symbolism - I mean, it felt like almost medieval. I mean, to start with, the Archbishop - he took his crozier - that's his staff, and it's made from one of the charred roof timbers - and he banged on the door three times, and it sounded like this.
(SOUNDBITE OF STAFF BANGING)
BEARDSLEY: So he says, Notre Dame, please open your doors for us. And it was like, wow. You know, what were we witnessing? Yeah. And then the other major ritual, which really gave me goose bumps, was - is called the waking the organ ceremony, and it was such a moving moment. What - this time - you know, the organ hasn't played in 5 1/2 years, and the archbishop called out, sacred organ, wake up. Let's listen to him.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LAURENT ULRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
BEARDSLEY: Commands - and then the organ answers him every time. And it's always spontaneous, Scott. You can hear the organists playing
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DETROW: There it is.
BEARDSLEY: Yeah. And so the commands are different. They're different. They're - they could be about the Virgin Mary or Christ. You know, I spoke with an organist before, you know, this week, and he said, That's a very emotional moment. Nothing is planned. It is all spontaneous.
And Scott, there were more moving moments. The firefighters came in at one point - you know, the famous pompiers de Paris, who saved the church - and they were met with applause. And they came in with some of the artisans. You know, 2,000 artisans restored this church, you know, stonecarvers and carpenters and all that. So this is a really - Notre Dame is a story of inspiration and hope not just for Paris and France, but really for the whole world.
DETROW: I mean, such a moving ceremony, especially for everyone who remembers just watching in horror on TV or in person, like you, you know, as the fire happened. But there was also some real politics today. President-elect Trump was there, and he met with Macron, right?
BEARDSLEY: Absolutely. Well, President-elect Trump was here and First Lady Jill Biden with her daughter, Ashley, and they sat in the front of the cathedral. And actually, Trump sat between President Macron and first lady - French first lady Brigitte Macron because he came alone.
But before the ceremony, yes, he met up at the Elysee. He was welcomed to the Elysee, and Macron says, welcome back. Do you remember this room? And, you know, he reminded people who were there that Trump was president when Notre Dame burned, and he thanked him then how he was so moved, and he thanked Trump and Americans for their solidarity with the cathedral.
And then Macron did something that he loves to do, these little political coups. He was meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy after Trump. And by the way, Zelenskyy got a round of applause when he entered into the Cathedral tonight. But anyway, Macron is meeting with Zelenskyy, and he, you know, asked Trump to wait. So he actually got them together. So the three of them also met.
DETROW: Interesting. One more important question - Notre Dame isn't just a landmark. It's a Catholic cathedral. Is there going to be mass tomorrow?
BEARDSLEY: There sure is. Two masses tomorrow, and it will open for the public - but let me tell you, you've got to now go online and get a slot. And I don't think you're going to be able to get a ticket anytime soon. A lot of people want to go.
DETROW: That is NPR's Eleanor Beardsley at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Eleanor, it's good to talk to you. I'm glad you were covering the story today. Thanks so much.
BEARDSLEY: Thank you. Great to talk to you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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