During the ceremony, the holy water was blessed, the altar was consecrated, excerpts from the Bible were read, the relics were placed and the tabernacle was blessed.
More than five years after the devastating fire, the first Mass was held at the rebuilt Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sunday, after it was officially opened the day before.
"This morning we erase the pain of April 15, 2019," said Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Paris, who celebrated the Mass on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The archbishop welcomed those who followed the ceremony in front of the projectors set up in the cathedral and on the banks of the Seine.
"God brought you, believers or not," said Laurent Ulrich.
About 2,500 people took part in the mass, including several heads of state, including French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as 150 needy people who were invited to lunch after the mass, 150 French and foreign bishops, as well as the 106 parishes of Paris and the seven Eastern Rites Catholic Church a priest was present.
The ceremony, during which the holy water was blessed, the altar was consecrated, excerpts from the Bible were read, the relics were placed, and the tabernacle was blessed, lasted more than two hours.
At the end of the ceremony, the archbishop consecrated the new bronze altar. Five relics linked to Paris were placed in the altar.
Emmanuel Macron, who gave a speech in the cathedral on Saturday night to mark the opening, did not offer communion, but exchanged kisses of peace with his neighbors, respecting the separation of church and religion in France.
Five and a half years after the fire, the rebuilt Notre-Dame in Paris opened
As with the previous day's ceremonial opening, security was again overseen by six thousand policemen and gendarmes.
After the devastating fire in the cathedral on April 15, 2019, the 860-year-old gem of medieval Gothic architecture was restored using original techniques.
"This was not just the restoration of a building. It was about restoring the heart of the nation," said Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the cathedral.
MTI
Cover image: The first Mass after the fire was celebrated in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris
Source: Facebook/Vatican News
