NOTRE DAME’S BELL RINGS FOR FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS

Five years after a fire destroyed large parts of the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the bells rung for the first time again on Friday.

This was the first time since April 2019 that eight of the cathedral’s bells tolled. The 850-year-old building was engulfed by a devastating fire which burned for several hours.

It formed part of a technical test before the cathedral’s official reopening in December.

Alexandre Gougeon was the man in charge of managing the installation of the bells. He told CNN that the ringing felt like “the culmination of a big project”.

“Hearing the bells ring this morning was very moving.”

Three new bells were also introduced and installed. The biggest of these new bells was a donation made to the cathedral by the organising committee at the Paris Olympics.

CNN reports that it previously rang in the Stade de France, the country’s national stadium when athletes won or broke records during this summer’s Olympics.

Although investigators are still to determine the cause of the fire, it’s believed that it might have been caused by a burning cigarette or an electrical malfunction.

Image credit: KMUW