This is the last post for my Holidays in Paris 2024, and I have a very special, holiday treat: Photos of Notre Dame.
Last Thursday afternoon at 4:30pm, I decided to give getting into Notre Dame a shot. I didn’t have a reservation, but surprisingly the line wasn’t that long, and I was inside within 10 minutes.
The view walking in was overwhelming; the dark, staid interior I was so used to seeing for many years was now filled with brightness and light. The side chapels were uncluttered with a mix of contemporary art pieces and tapestries, and the old, musty oil paintings, now cleaned, had vivid images. The Nativity scene was beautifully executed with carved and meticulously painted figures.
The cathedral was preparing for a 6pm mass, and at 5:15, a priest approached the altar in a purple robe with a satin trim, followed by billows of smoke, with the organ playing.
I wish you a joyous Christmas and a happy Hanukah and hope you are spending the day with family and loved ones.
Thank you, Richard, for sharing your personal photos of the new Notre Dame. We can see better the small things and special corners that the news doesn't show us. Happy Holidays from Minnesota.
Posted by: J. Pierre | December 25, 2024 at 07:09 PM
Thank you so much for your beautiful photographs of Notre Dame and for lovely photographs you send all year long.
Happy New Year!
Cynthia Swann
Posted by: Cynthia Swann | December 26, 2024 at 07:05 PM
I was there last a month before the fire. What an extraordinary rebirth. I look forward to returning again soon. Thank you.
Posted by: Teri | December 27, 2024 at 09:38 AM
WOW! Amazing pictures, Richard. Thank you! I was in Paris a week before the opening, so did not get inside, but Notre Dame looked lovely from the outside. Can't wait to get back so I can experience the inside. Kudos to the workers who worked so hard to get this beautiful Lady in such tip-top shape! 🩷
Posted by: Steve Thorpe | January 01, 2025 at 08:15 PM