Christians around the world are celebrating the upcoming grand reopening of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, one of the most famous in the world, after the tragic fire that partially destroyed the building in 2019.
Five years after it was removed, miraculously surviving the fire, a beloved statue was returned to the Cathedral, causing great jubilation among French Catholics.
Associated Press reported:
“A medieval statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, known as ‘The Virgin of Paris’, returned to Notre Dame cathedral Friday evening, five years after surviving the devastating 2019 fire that engulfed the landmark.”
The six-foot-tall stone sculpture became ‘a symbol of hope and faith for Catholics in Paris and beyond’.
The statue earned the nickname ‘Stabat Mater’ — ‘the standing Mother’ — as a sign of strength amid the destruction.
The ‘Virgin of Paris’ return consisted of a torchlit procession from its provisional home at Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois Church.
Hundreds of Christians accompanied the statue along the Seine River up to the cathedral’s square, where Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris led a blessing ceremony.
“’Tonight, as we accompany the Virgin Mary to her cathedral, before she takes her place at the pillar where so many generations have come to pray, we know she is joining the house of Christ’, Ulrich said, bowing before the statue and blessing it with incense.
The statue, originally from the Saint-Aignan Chapel on the Île de la Cité, dates to the mid-14th century. Moved to Notre Dame cathedral in 1818, it was relocated several times before finding a permanent home in 1855 against the southeast pillar of the cathedral, under the guidance of architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, according to a news release from the cathedral.”
A nine-day prayer cycle that began November 7 was concluded with a vigil on the Notre Dame.
The returning of the ‘Stabat Mater’ is part of the run-up to the cathedral’s reopening, on December 8.
Last week, the cathedral took delivery of three new bells, including one used during the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
The ‘Olympic bell’, a gift from the Paris 2024 organizing committee, will join two smaller bells.
“’We’ll be together again in a few days to open the door to Christ’, Ulrich said during the ceremony.”
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