The consecration of the altar is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Dec. 8, during the first Mass in the restored cathedral. Finally, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated, which this year is moved to Dec. 9 because the feast falls on the second Sunday of Advent.
In addition to the events for the reopening of Notre Dame, the archbishop of Paris announced an octave from Dec. 8–15, with each day featuring a solemn celebration with a particular theme.
Architect Philippe Villeneuve was in charge of supervising the restoration of the church, working with a team of professionals to reconstruct the cathedral according to its original design, including the spire, which was designed by architect Eugène Viollet-le-duc in the 19th century.
Reconstruction work began just 24 months after the tragic incident. The first phase consisted of cleaning and securing the site with the participation of more than 200 different companies.
Those responsible for the project have estimated that approximately 1,000 people have been working daily on the restoration process.
According to the Rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris project, the task of restoring the cathedral is estimated to have cost about $767 million. Thankfully, the global response has been overwhelming: A total of approximately $928 million has been raised to date, given by donors from 150 countries.
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