<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Notre Dame Cathedral: A year after the historic Paris fire"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">PARIS — Two years after a fire tore through Paris’ most famous cathedral and shocked the world, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday visited the building site that Notre Dame has become to show that French heritage has not been forgotten despite the coronavirus.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Flanked by ministers, architects and the retired French army general who is overseeing the restoration of the 12th century monument, Macron assessed the progress of the ambitious rebuilding project and offered the pandemic-weary French public some hope that a completion date will arrive one day, if not in the near future.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">“We’re seeing here how, in two years, a huge work has been accomplished,” Macron said, recalling the “emotion” throughout France at the images of flames devouring Notre Dame on April 15, 2019. “We also see what’s remain to be done.”</p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:440px" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/04/15/USAT/7b1ef8ed-d33f-4f8f-812f-bf20da4686aa-AP_France_Notre_Dame_2.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/04/15/USAT/7b1ef8ed-d33f-4f8f-812f-bf20da4686aa-AP_France_Notre_Dame_2.jpg?width=1320&height=880&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" decoding="async" alt="French President Emmanuel Macron, center, visited Notre Dame Cathedral Thursday to check on the progress of restoration efforts two years after fire tore through the church."/></figure><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Macron promised the cathedral would be rebuilt by 2024, yet officials acknowledge the work won’t be fully completed by then. They cite factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic for having slowed down the pace. The blaze also distributed vast amounts of toxic lead onto Notre Dame and the surrounding area, complicating the clean-up work that came before restoration efforts could even begin.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The French president offered “a huge thank you” and a message of determination to all the workers mobilized to rebuild Notre Dame.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">“We will need to meet our goals” set for three years from now, Macron said.</p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:440px" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/04/15/USAT/a5d75d1d-7534-4e54-bfdc-adec81637967-nd-stained-glass.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/04/15/USAT/a5d75d1d-7534-4e54-bfdc-adec81637967-nd-stained-glass.jpg?width=1320&height=880&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" decoding="async" alt="“The objective ... is to return Notre Dame to worshippers and to visits in 2024. That means that in 2024, Mass will be able to be organized in the cathedral,” Jeremie Patrier-Leitus, a spokesperson for the restoration, told The Associated Press."/></figure><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Cranes and scaffolding from the massive project...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2021/04/15/notre-dame-cathedral-see-restoration-progress-2-years-after-fire/7234214002/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
