World leaders gather for reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris 

World leaders have gathered in the French capital for the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, five years after the UNESCO World Heritage site was severely damaged in a fire that drew a global outpouring of support.

Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich ceremonially opened the doors to Notre-Dame on Saturday evening at the start of a ceremony attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and other heads of state from around the world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President-elect Donald Trump, who was making his first overseas trip since winning last month’s US election, were among the many leaders in attendance.

“Tonight, I stand before you … to express the gratitude of the French nation – gratitude to all those who saved, helped, and rebuilt Notre-Dame,” Macron said during the ceremony.

“Tonight, the bells of Notre-Dame will ring again.”

[Translation: “Here we are. The world is watching us. Let’s reopen Notre-Dame!”]

The 2019 fire brought the beloved, 12th-century gothic cathedral close to collapse, as flames engulfed Notre-Dame and sent massive plumes of smoke billowing into the sky above Paris. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to extinguish the blaze.

Following the fire, nearly $1bn in donations poured in from around the world to help with reconstruction efforts.

The cathedral has been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting, its flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles returned to their past glory and white stone and gold decorations shining brightly once again.

French firefighters who helped fight the fire received a standing ovation during Saturday’s reopening ceremony. The word “merci” – French for “thank you” – was also illuminated on the front of the building.

Parisian careworker Pascal Tordeux, who has a tattoo on his arm representing the cathedral, told the Reuters news agency that Notre-Dame “means everything”.

“I saw the construction every day from my window, the spire being brought down, being brought back,” said Tordeux, who lives across the river from the cathedral. “I saw it burn, I saw it rise again. I followed it day by day.”

The reopening comes as Macron faces a political crisis at home after parliament earlier this week pushed out his prime minister.

Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from outside Notre-Dame on Saturday evening, said the French president – who had promised to rebuild the cathedral in five years – is hoping to distract from that political uncertainty.

“We have also seen Macron use this as something of an opportunity for a bit of last-minute diplomacy,” Butler explained. Macron held talks with Zelenskyy and Trump at the Elysee before the ceremony.

“It was behind closed doors, but no doubt, Macron will be rather pleased that he’s managed to get these two together before Trump is inaugurated in January,” Butler added.

Observers have raised concerns that Trump – who has questioned continued US support for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion – could cut off Washington’s assistance to Kyiv once he takes office.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian president described Saturday’s meeting with Macron and Trump as “good and productive”.

“We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible.”