A procession of hundreds of people holding candles walked through the streets of Paris to bring a famed statue of the Virgin Mary and child back to Notre-Dame Cathedral on Friday, five years after it was moved to a nearby church after a devastating fire.
Laurent Ulrich, the Paris archbishop, blessed the statue during the march, as people prayed and sung hymns while they carried the statue, its base surrounded by white flowers, past Christmas trees and holiday garlands erected on city streets ahead of the year-end holiday.
"The Virgin stands, stands, although she is filled with pain. We have just accompanied her walk, her return, by reciting the rosary and the joyful mysteries. We remain joyful about everything that happened after this fire. We remain joyful about everything that has been experienced around this cathedral for five years," Ulrich said.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Paris landmark built over nearly 200 years starting in the middle of the 12th century, is due to reopen on Dec. 8 with days of festivities after the fire that ravaged it on April 15, 2019.
Though French authorities have said an electrical fault or cigarette may have sparked the conflagration, it remains unclear exactly what caused it.
The facade of the building, which hulks over the Ile de la Cite island in the middle of the Seine river, held, but the damage has required years of work to stabilize and restore the edifice. About 500 workers have been racing to do so.
The official leading the project said in April that the project had cost 550 million euros ($580.36 million), funded in part by massive donations, including by luxury sector billionaires Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. The cathedral has received so much funding that there will be money left over for further investment in the building.
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend multiple events around the reopening, including its inaugural Mass.
Nearly 40,000 pilgrims and 8,000 scholars have already registered for pilgrimage services at the cathedral, with plans for 14-15 million visitors a year, spokespeople for the cathedral said.
French culture minister Rachida Dati has suggested charging a small fee to see the cathedral to help finance the maintenance of other churches and cathedrals, but for now visiting Notre-Dame cathedral remains free to the public.