Notre Dame held its first mass since the inferno destroyed the cathedral’s roof and spire, with the Paris archbishop donning a hardhat instead of a mitre.
Saturday’s mass at the Gothic building was led by archbishop Michel Aupetit amid reduced attendance for security reasons.
Around 30 congregants, including priests, canons and a number of workers taking part in the church’s reconstruction, were admitted.
The world watched in horror as the blaze tore through Notre Dame on April 15, plunging France into national mourning over the loss of priceless works of art and its 600-year-old architecture.
Worshippers were not authorised in the cathedral but watched the mass on a Catholic TV station that is broadcasting the service.
The video showed some burnt wood still in the church but a famous statue of the Virgin and Child appeared intact behind wooden construction planks.
The annual Dedication Mass commemorated the cathedral’s consecration as a place of worship and was held in a small side chapel at around 5pm local time.
‘This cathedral is a place of worship, it is its very own and unique purpose,’ Aupetit said.
One French priest called the service ‘a true happiness, full of hope.’
‘We will rebuild this cathedral. It will take time of course – a lot of money, lot of time, lot of work – but we will succeed,’…
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