The Archdiocese of Paris has outlined plans for a major celebration when the basilica of Notre Dame is reopened on December 8, following extensive renovations to repair the damage done by a devastating fire in April 2019.
In a pastoral letter released on February 2, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich said that the celebration will being 15 days before the formal reconsecration of the basilica, with a procession through the city to return the 14th-century image of the Virgin and Child, which somehow escaped the fire.
The focal point of the celebration will be the reconsecration of the main altar, during the first Mass on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception and, this year, the Second Sunday of Advent. The celebrations will continue, however, through June 8, 2025, which is Pentecost Sunday.