PARIS — President-elect Donald Trump is among the global dignitaries expected to be in Paris on Saturday for the reopening of the iconic Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
The cathedral was rebuilt after a massive fire heavily damaged the medieval Gothic masterpiece five years ago.
Trump’s visit marks his first overseas trip since winning last month’s election, capping possibly the greatest political comeback in American history. President Joe Biden is not expected to attend, but U.S. First Lady Jill Biden is.
The restoration, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, involved more than 2,000 artisans and workers. In April 2019, a fire almost destroyed the cathedral.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the restored cathedral on Friday and praised the workers for their efforts in the project.
Macron will attend the official opening of the cathedral along with the Archbishop of Paris and other dignitaries on Saturday. The cathedral will open to the public on Sunday as part of a weeklong series of events.
Even while covered in scaffolding and closed to visitors, Notre Dame has continued to attract numerous tourists during the years of restoration.
“I can understand why people in the past created buildings such as this one, because it’s so huge,” Voice of America quoted a visitor from Italy as saying. “It’s really tall — like it’s going up in the sky.”
This event provides a reprieve from other bad news, including pre-Christmas strikes, soaring debt, and an uncertain political future.
