Nearly year after fire, Notre Dame Cathedral opens for small Good Friday mass amid virus lockdown
What made Notre Dame’s structure so unique is also what made it so vulnerable to fire, and why it burned so quickly. USA TODAY
Amid a coronavirus lockdown, a small group of worshipers gathered for a Good Friday service at France’s historic Notre Dame Cathedral on Friday morning, nearly a year after a fire ravaged the iconic Gothic structure.
Only seven people were present for the 40 minute service that included prayer, music and readings inside the cathedral, which is closed to the public.
“This message of hope is especially important in these days where we are particularly affected by the coronavirus, which is sowing anguish, death and paralysis in our country and the world,” Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit said in a video press conference this week, according to NPR.
Notre Dame empty for Christmas: Cathedral may never recover from devastating fire
More: Stunning photos show Pope Francis praying to an empty St. Peter’s Square
Aupetit led the service along with three clergymen who wore hard hats as they entered the damaged cathedral. They took off the helmets for the ceremony, which was held in front of a large cross and the gaping hole in the cathedral’s roof.
The service began with a presentation of the Crown of Thorns of Christ that was miraculously saved from the flames, according to BFMTV, which broadcast the service live.
In this file photo taken on April 14, 2017 shows a priest wiping the Crown of Thorns, a relic of the passion of Christ- at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. (Photo: PHILIPPE LOPEZ, AFP/Getty Images)
Classical musician Renaud Capuçon played violin and actors Judith Chemla and Philippe Torreton delivered readings. Chemla also sang a stirring rendition of “Ave Maria.”
French President Emmanuel Macron put the country under a lockdown March 16 to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Reconstruction on the cathedral was halted by the outbreak, but preparation to restart rebuilding again is happening “remotely,” according to French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
The fire on April 15, 2019, destroyed the landmark’s spire and the roof that kept its twin-towered facade and ceilings stable. Macron has promised Notre Dame will reopen to the public within five years, even though some experts have called that timetable unrealistic.
Notre Dame renovation chief: Rebuilding of iconic cathedral won’t be rushed
Contributing: The Associated Press
Follow N’dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/04/10/good-friday-notre-dame-holds-small-service-fire/5128888002/