royal888 They Love France. So When Notre-Dame Burned, They Wanted to Help.

Updated:2024-12-11 02:20 Views:109

Like many of the millions of tourists who visit Paris, Nick and Suzie Trivisonno, of Charlotte, N.C., would usually catch at least a glimpse of Notre-Dame on their frequent visits to town. Often, the Trivisonnos, who are Catholics, would go to the cathedral and pray — for family, friends and peace.

On Saturday, they were back in Paris to offer a prayer for Notre-Dame itself.

The centuries-old cathedral, badly damaged by fire in April 2019, reopened on Saturday with an official ceremony, after a restoration carried out by roughly 2,000 workers. They labored on what President Emmanuel Macron of France has called “the most beautiful construction site of the century,” in an effort funded with about $900 million in donations from around the world. The Trivisonnos were among those who donated.

They were moved to contribute after watching, horrified, as a live video feed showed the mainstay of European history, culture and faith engulfed in flames and teetering on the brink of oblivion.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Trivisonno, 77, and Mrs. Trivisonno, 72, were taking coffee and croissants on the ground floor of the Hotel Regina Louvre on the right bank of the Seine. They were still buzzing from the night before, when they had attended a special meal for donors at the Tour d’Argent, the fine-dining establishment in the Fifth Arrondissement that dates to the 16th century. They were served plates of poached lobster and duck. But the main course was the view of Notre-Dame through the big windows.

The cathedral is still partly clad in spindly scaffolding; the restoration job will not be fully done for years. But there, dramatically lit against the night sky, the cathedral seemed to announce to the donors, and the world, that it had recovered.

ImageNotre-Dame Cathedral was lit up on Friday ahead of the reopening. Excitement has been building in the lead-up to the ceremonies.Credit...Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times

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