The Virgin returns to Notre Dame, with a novena that will touch the Paris cathedral Nov. 7-15. And it will be one of the last activities in the restored cathedral, which will reopen on Dec. 8. In early September, the bells of Paris Cathedral, which was hit by fire on April 15, 2019, also returned.

The bells triumphantly returned to Notre Dame last September 12, and were assembled in ten days of work. They consist of eight bells, two of which were damaged by the cathedral fire and have now been restored. They were hoisted, one by one, to the top of the north bell tower, at the height of the west gable. It was a delicate job during which the bell-ringers had to juggle techniques between archaism and modernity.

It was a difficult job, because when the bell swings, its pushing force is such that the structure has to support ten times the weight of the bell. It took a dozen craftsmen to reassemble the bells, and the top floor of the North Tower was transformed into a veritable workshop; the bell-ringers had to work by hand, with great organization. They also took care of every detail, including bringing back the statue of Anne Genevieve.

“We have to rethink the maneuver a little bit like in the days of the cathedral construction and cross-reference this data with the modern lifting equipment at our disposal,” explains André Voegele. We have to adapt and juggle modern means with the force of arms.”

The bells have been assembled one at a time, and now in November the tolling test is scheduled. Everything will be ready for December 8, for the reopening of the cathedral.

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This article was previously published by acistampa.com