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World-famous Notre-Dame cathedral rebuilt after devastating fire

Image shows the North and South towers of Notre-Dame cathedral which sit either side of the West Rose window.Image source, EPA

The world famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has reopened almost six years after it was nearly destroyed by a huge fire.

The gothic building, originally completed in 1345, has been restored to its former splendour by around 2,000 stone masons, carpenters, roofers, foundry-workers, art experts, sculptors and engineers.

France's President Emmanuel Macron was led on a tour on Friday morning to celebrate the successful restoration.

He said it was now "repaired, reinvented and rebuilt" and that it was "sublime".

What happened to Notre-Dame?

Image source, EPA
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Luckily many artefacts, holy relics and historic artworks were saved from the fire and no one was hurt.

In 2019, the 850-year-old building was undergoing repair work after cracks in the stonework put its structure at risk.

But on the 15 April, a fire broke out, and around 600 firefighters battled the flames for 15 hours.

It is unclear what caused the fire, but there are theories it could have been a cigarette left by a worker or an electrical fault.

Burned by the fire, the cathedral's 19th century spire crashed to the ground as stunned Parisians watched on.

At one point it was feared that the eight bells in the north tower were at risk of falling, which would have pulled the tower itself down, and possibly much of the cathedral walls.

In the end the structure was saved.

Let's take a look at the newly restored cathedral.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 6, An interior view of the Notre-Dame cathedral. , The roof was mostly made of wood - so was badly damaged by either the fire itself, or water was used to put it out. It has now been restored and looks spectacular.