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00:00 On the Paris skyline, Notre Dame is coming back to life.
00:05 With the scaffolding coming down bit by bit, you can now see a new steeple.
00:10 And inside, the church is rediscovering its colors.
00:15 Its 24 chapels have the same vibrant color palette chosen during the 19th century.
00:24 The painted murals have been cleaned and restored.
00:28 Carpenters are completing the wooden stalls with their 22 carved oak panels depicting
00:33 the life of the Virgin Mary.
00:35 The carvings suffered water damage as firefighters tried to put out the flames in 2019.
00:41 The man who oversees all of the work is the chief architect.
00:45 Five years ago, he made the bet that the cathedral could reopen to the public in 2024.
00:50 "I never doubted it.
00:53 I was one of the first crazy ones to say, 'Yes, we can do it.'
00:57 On the other hand, I never imagined such a metamorphosis, such richness, harmony, beauty
01:02 and meaning."
01:04 The day after the fire, the church was strewn with debris and a gaping hole in the roof
01:09 loomed above.
01:10 Now, the walls, which were built in the 13th century, are light yellow.
01:15 The marble floors, damaged by the falling roof, are little by little getting back their
01:21 shine.
01:22 Here, next October, the new bronze altar will be installed.
01:26 You can see it in these animated images, which also show 1,500 light wooden chairs facing
01:32 the altar, made to reflect the light of the restored stained glass.
01:37 Outside, more than 50 metres above, statues have been repositioned on the gables.
01:43 Masons are putting the last stones into place, and the roofers are working to place thousands
01:48 of lead panels and framing to construct the new roof.
01:52 Almost 500 tons of metal.
01:55 "We are sprinting through a marathon.
01:58 All the people who will be in Paris this summer won't be able to come inside the cathedral.
02:02 So we are giving them a chance to see from the outside how much progress has been made
02:07 and show them that Notre-Dame will open a few months later."
02:11 The roof is expected to be in place in time for the Paris Summer Games.
02:15 Notre-Dame is scheduled to reopen to the public on December 8th.
02:18 (dramatic music)