French president to deliver ‘republican and secular’ speech outside monument days before it officially reopens to public

As firefighters doused the embers of the blaze that threatened to destroy Notre Dame Cathedral on 16 April 2019, Emmanuel Macron promised the church would be restored “more beautiful than ever” within five years.

Next week, the French president will visit the monument that has been returned to its former glory within the deadline he promised with the help of millions in donations and hundreds of specialist artisans using age-old skills.