Macron offers first glimpse of post-fire Notre Dame

Paris: France is to offer the world a first look inside the restored Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Friday, over five years after the fire that rava...

Paris: France is to offer the world a first look inside the restored Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Friday, over five years after the fire that ravaged the interior of the heritage landmark and toppled its spire.

Eight days ahead of the December 7 reopening of the cathedral, President Emmanuel Macron conducted an inspection, broadcast live on television, which provided the first official insight into how the 850-year-old edifice now looks inside.

"Even more beautiful than before, in the renewed radiance of the blonde stones and the colour of the chapels," Macron said in a statement released to media on the eve of the visit.

The "building site of the century" was a "challenge that many considered insane", the president added.