Visitors flock to Notre-Dame in year since rising from devastating fire

People stand outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on Nov. 29 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP)

A year after reopening to the public, Notre-Dame cathedral has drawn more than 11 million visitors, flocking to admire its restored pale stone and minimalist furnishings after the 2019 blaze that devastated the Paris landmark.

The cathedral was reopened on Dec. 7, 2024, after more than five years of renovation work, in the presence of heads of state, including French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

Notre-Dame has welcomed “approximately 11 million visitors” since reopening, about 30 per cent more than before the fire, said Sybille Bellamy-Brown, head of visitor management at the cathedral.

In comparison, the Louvre museum in Paris welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year and seven million tourists pay to see the Eiffel Tower each year.

Colombian tourist Maria Vega could not imagine visiting Paris without seeing the iconic cathedral.

“It’s particularly important for me since I’ve recently reconnected with the church,” the 22-year-old said, marvelling at the restoration.

“The beauty and simplicity are striking.”

The cathedral has surpassed its annual attendance levels of an estimated eight to nine million people before the fire on April 15, 2019, which tore through the roof and framework of the masterpiece of 12th-century Gothic art.

Since reopening after a colossal renovation project funded by 843 million euros (US$982 million) in donations, the site draws lines of people stretching across the cathedral forecourt.

Individuals can still enter for free without reservations, but faced with the influx, Notre-Dame has sought to “regulate” entries, particularly during services.

More than 1,600 services are to be held this year and the cathedral has seen a boom in pilgrimages, with over 650, a third of them from abroad.

While 140 million euros remain from donations, more is needed to complete the restoration of the building -- already in poor condition before the fire, according to the Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris public body.