Notre Dame reopens in Paris 5 years after fire – its reconstruction preserves the past and illuminates France’s modern ambitions
- Written by Irit Kleiman, Associate Professor of Romance Studies, Boston University
Onlookers watch Notre Dame Cathedral burn on April 14, 2019.Photo by Eric BOUVET/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesParisians navigating the narrow streets of the 4th arrondissement in recent days may have heard a familiar, yet nearly forgotten, sound. The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral have been ringing again after nearly five years, in preparation for...








