The bells are back at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. They’ll ring for the post-fire reopening

The bells are returning to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris just in time for its reopening after the devastating 2019 fire. A convoy of trucks carrying eight restored bells, the heaviest weighing over 4 tons, arrived at the worksite on Thursday. The bells will be blessed in a special ceremony inside the cathedral before being hoisted into the twin towers for the public reopening on December 8.

Cathedral Rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, donning a hard hat, called the bells "a sign that the cathedral will again resonate," symbolizing a call to prayer and unity. The bells will be tested individually but won't ring in full until the reopening day.

Although the cathedral's construction began in the 12th century, the bronze bells damaged in the fire were from the 21st century, crafted to replace older, discordant bells for Notre Dame's 850th anniversary. The roof and spire, which collapsed in the fire, have been replaced, with scaffolding gradually being removed from the site.