Notre Dame Cathedral May Not Be Ready For The 2024 French Olympics: Officials

Last August, French authorities announced that Notre Dame was on track to full recovery, following the fire that engulfed the cathedral three years before. The reconstruction project, which was slated to be completed before the 2024 Olympic Games, will cost a total of US$865 million.

However, in a major setback, officials have now said that it appears the landmark will not be ready to greet tourists when they arrive in Paris for the Summer Games. According to France24, General Jean-Louis Georgelin predicted the cathedral will only reopen towards the end of next year.

Explaining that the goal was to “open the cathedral in 2024,” and that those involved were “fighting every day for that,” the General remarked that it wouldn’t be long before the archbishop of the capital would be in capacity and liturgy could once again be celebrated in the monument.

Those in the city will soon see the building’s iconic spiral—which collapsed during the blaze—gradually appear as a sign of its comeback. It took two years for the clean-up phase of the project to be completed, with the monument now secure enough for rebuilding to begin.

During the reconstruction, an underground exhibition situated at the front of the cathedral, titled Notre-Dame de Paris: At The Heart Of The Construction Site, is set to open to guests. The showcase will highlight the ongoing operations and certain remains rescued from the fire.

Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak told the Associated Press that when the landmark reopens its doors next year, some renovation work will still go on into 2025. Till then, visitors traveling for the Olympics can stop by the free exhibition or take part in a virtual reality show of the building’s history.

[via Archinect and France24, cover image via Konstantin Chagin | Dreamstime.com]