Rooster on the spire of Notre Dame in Paris. Photo: Wikipedia Paris (KNA): A cockerel is once again watching over Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. At the weekend, the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, blessed the figure, French media reported. The golden cockerel filled with relics was then placed on the 96-metre-high spire above the nave of the church.
A cockerel, the heraldic animal of the French Republic, had adorned the spire of the world-famous cathedral since 1835. The building was devastated by a fire in April 2019. Its reconstruction is progressing rapidly.
“It shows that we can do anything, we are capable of it,” said Philippe Jost, President of the Rebatir Notre-Dame de Paris, the organisation responsible for the reconstruction, according to French media.
The old cockerel was too damaged in the fire to be reused and will be exhibited in a museum. However, the relics have been preserved. The new cockerel also contains a document with the names of around 2,000 people who were involved in the reconstruction of the cathedral which is due to reopen in December 2024.