More than five years since a catastrophic fire destroyed large parts of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, the bells of the historic church have rung once more,
CNN reports.
On Friday morning, eight of the cathedral’s bells tolled for the first time since April 2019, according to Alexandre Gougeon, who managed their installation.
“Hearing the bells ring this morning was very moving,” Gougeon told CNN, adding that the project to install the bells had taken a year and a half. He described the ringing as “the culmination of a big project.”
The eight restored bells of the cathedral’s northern belfry, which was partially destroyed in the fire, rang together Friday morning as part of a technical test before Notre-Dame’s official reopening, which is slated for next month.
Three new bells were also presented to the public and installed in the cathedral on Thursday.
The biggest of the bells was donated by the organizing committee of the Paris Olympics. It previously rang in the Stade de France, the country’s national stadium, when athletes won or broke records during this summer’s Olympics.
“To see this bell once again is very precious to us, that it has a second life and an eternal life in the heart of Notre Dame,” Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, told French broadcaster BFM.
The restoration of the Notre-Dame bells represents an important milestone, as their tolling is the “most important” moment of the mass, according to the cathedral’s rector. “It really celebrates the victory of love. And it’s the very sign that hope is always present,” explained Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, also speaking to BFM.
