Notre-Dame's bells ring out again

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.

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.

Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral in October 2024. File Photo

“Hearing the bells ring this morning was very moving,” Gougeon said, 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,” said Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee.

The restoration of the Notre-Dame bells represents an important milestone, as their tolling is the “most important” moment of the mass, according to Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, the cathedral’s rector. “It really celebrates the victory of love. And it’s the very sign that hope is always present,” he explained.

In 2019, the 850-year-old building was engulfed by a devastating blaze, which burned for several hours.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire, though they believe it was accidental. Possible theories include that it could have been caused by a burning cigarette or an electrical malfunction, according to French prosecutors.

Located on the Île de la Cité, a small island in the Seine River in the center of Paris, the cathedral was one of the French capital’s most popular attractions and drew an estimated 13 million visitors each year.

French President Emmanuel Macron promised the public that reconstruction works would be completed within five years of the blaze, and that the cathedral would be rebuilt exactly as it was. The pledged reopening date is Dec. 8. Everything is on time, according to Philippe Jost, president of the public body responsible for conserving and restoring the UNESCO World Heritage Site. (SD-Agencies)

五年前，一场大火摧毁了巴黎圣母院的大部分建筑。而今，这座历史悠久的教堂里再度响起钟声。

上周五早上，自2019年4月以后，圣母院的八口钟首次再度敲响。

负责安装大钟的亚历山大•古容说：“今早听到钟声令人动容。”他补充说安装工程历时一年半。他称钟声敲响为“重大工程的高潮”。

教堂北钟楼八口修复完好的钟周五早上同时鸣响，是圣母院正式重新开放之前的技术测试的一部分，教堂下个月开放。

周四安装前还向公众展示了三口新钟。其中最大的是由巴黎奥运会组委会捐赠的。这口钟之前安装在法兰西体育场，今年夏季奥运会期间，在运动员夺金或打破纪录时敲响。

“再次看到这口钟对我们来说弥足珍贵，在巴黎圣母院它获得了第二次并且是永恒的生命，”巴黎2024组委会主席托尼•艾斯坦盖说。

教堂神父奥利维尔•里巴德欧•杜马斯说，修复圣母院的大钟是一个重要的里程碑，钟声是弥撒中“最重要”的时刻。“它庆祝了爱的胜利。 它是希望永存的标志，”他说。

2019年，这座有着850年历史的建筑被一场毁灭性的大火吞噬，火势持续了几个小时。

调查人员尚未确定火灾原因，尽管他们认为这是意外。 法国检方提出的可能原因包括燃烧的烟头或电气故障。

位于塞纳河中心塞纳岛上的巴黎圣母院是法国首都最受欢迎的景点之一，每年吸引近1300万游客。

法国总统埃马纽埃尔•马克龙承诺公众，重建工作将在火灾后五年内完成，教堂将原样重建。 教堂定于12月8日重新开放。

负责保护和修复这个联合国教科文组织世界遗产遗址机构的主席菲利普•约斯特说，一切在按计划进行。

(Translated by Debra)