PARIS – Wearing tight hats and protective attire, members of Notre Dame Cathedral’s choir sang inside a medieval Paris landmark for the first time since last year’s devastating fire for a special Christmas Eve party.
Accompanied by acclaimed cellists and rented limbs, the singers performed under the stained-glass windows of the cathedral amidst the darkened church, which has been postponed to become a dangerous clean-up operation and a reconstruction site. The singer initially planned to bring in 20 singers but for safety reasons they were limited to eight.
Inside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, this photo, provided by Maitrez Notre-Dame de Paris on December 19, 2020, records the Christmas celebrations of cello player Gautier Capuccan and Notre Dame Cathedral singers. (Associated Press)
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Members of the singer stood at a social distance to be able to take off their masks – which is necessary indoors in France to prevent the spread of the virus – and could sing.
Ceremonies, including “Silent Night”, “The Angels of the Angels”, and “Jingle Bells” in English and French – were recorded earlier this month and aired just before midnight on Thursday. The public was not allowed and is not expected to see inside Notre Dame until at least 2024.
The diocese called it a “very symbolic concert … marked with spirit and hope” and a “musical heritage that goes back to the Middle Ages.”
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The Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Michel up Petite, from the Louvre Museum instead of Notre Dame, held services at St.-German-l’main Xerorois Church on Thursday, the day before Christmas.
Believers attend the Christmas Vesper on Thursday, December 24, 2020 at St. German Luxorros Church in Paris. (Associated Press)
The Notre Dame singer gave 60 concerts a year inside the cathedral, but has since moved on to other churches in Paris.
A fire in April 2019 burned down the cathedral’s lead roof and destroyed its spire, and earlier this month workers finally stabilized the site enough to begin rebuilding.
