Walking back inside of Notre Dame today feels different. It’s not just the smell of scrubbed stone or the way the light hits the floor; it’s the realization that we almost lost the whole thing. For five years, the world watched through scaffolding and plywood. Now that the doors are finally open, the reality of the interior is a bit of a shock to the system for anyone who remembers the pre-2019 gloom.
It’s bright. Really bright.
Before the fire, the cathedral was famous for its "Notre Dame Grey." Decades of candle soot, dust, and city grime had coated the walls in a thick, velvety layer of dark film. You basically had to squint to see the details of the vaults. Now, after a massive cleaning effort involving latex film that literally sucked the dirt out of the pores of the stone, the interior is a warm, honey-colored blonde. Honestly, it’s beautiful, but it changes the entire vibe of the space from a moody cave to a radiant hall.
The Grand Reconstruction of the Nave and Choir
The main thing people ask about is the roof. When the "forest"—those ancient 12th-century oak beams—went up in flames, it felt like the soul of the building was gone. Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect, made a call that sparked a lot of debate early on: they weren't going to use steel or concrete. They went back to oak.
Hand-hewn oak.
If you look up while standing in the nave, you’re seeing the result of over 2,000 oak trees sourced from forests all over France. Carpenters used traditional axes to mimic the original texture of the beams. Why? Because the way an axe-cut beam handles moisture and stress is fundamentally different from a machine-sawn one. It’s about more than just being a "purist." It’s about ensuring the structural physics of the cathedral remain consistent with how it was built 850 years ago.
The choir area has also seen a massive shift. The bronze furniture, designed by Guillaume Bardet, is intentionally minimalist. Some people hate it. They think it’s too modern for a Gothic masterpiece. But others argue that Notre Dame has always been a patchwork of centuries. You've got 13th-century stone sitting right next to 19th-century Viollet-le-Duc additions. This is just the 21st-century's signature on the guest book.
The Stained Glass: A Mix of Old and New
Surprisingly, the famous North, South, and West Rose Windows survived. It’s a miracle of physics. The lead that holds the glass together melts at a relatively low temperature, yet the heat of the fire—which reached $1200°C$ in some spots—didn't liquefy them. They were covered in toxic lead dust, though. Every single pane had to be removed and cleaned with cotton swabs and deionized water.
- The North Rose Window still features its original 13th-century glass, depicting Old Testament figures.
- The South Rose, a gift from King St. Louis, remains a bit more fragile but looks clearer than it has in a century.
- New additions: President Macron pushed for contemporary stained glass in some of the side chapels.
This specific decision caused a huge stir in the heritage community. Critics argued that replacing the "grisaille" glass designed by Viollet-le-Duc was an act of vandalism. The compromise? The new glass is being phased in carefully, designed to bring "contemporary light" into the space without clashing with the medieval geometry.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Fire Damage
There’s a common misconception that the fire gutted the entire building. It didn't. The fire was mostly an "aerial" disaster. It lived in the roof (the attic) and the spire. When the spire collapsed, it punched three holes through the stone rib vaults.
The floor of the cathedral actually stayed remarkably intact.
When you go inside of Notre Dame now, you aren't walking through a hollowed-out shell. You’re walking through a space that was protected by its own ceiling. The stone vaults acted like a firebreak. Most of the art—including the "Mays" (the large-scale paintings donated by the goldsmiths' guild in the 17th century)—was moved out within days of the fire and restored at the Louvre or other specialized workshops. They look better now than they did before the disaster. The colors are incredibly vivid.
The Great Organ: 8,000 Pipes of Dust
The organ didn't burn, but it almost died. It’s the largest musical instrument in France, and when the roof went down, the organ was coated in lead dust. Lead is a nightmare for organs. It’s heavy, it’s corrosive, and it’s toxic.
Every single one of those 8,000 pipes had to be taken out. They were sent to three different workshops across France. It took years to put it back together. Tuning it is an ongoing process because the "new" acoustics of the cleaned stone change how the sound bounces around the room. It’s sharper now. Less muffled.
The Archaeological Surprises Under the Floor
While the world was looking up at the spire, archaeologists were looking down. Because they had to build massive scaffolding inside of Notre Dame to support the vaults, they had to dig. And when you dig in the middle of the Île de la Cité, you find things.
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They found a lead sarcophagus.
Actually, they found several. One of them belonged to Antoine de la Porte, a high-ranking cleric who died in 1710. But the other one was more mysterious—a young, noble-looking man dubbed "The Horseman" because his bones showed he’d spent his life in the saddle. These burials were totally forgotten. They also found fragments of the original 13th-century "rood screen," a decorated wall that used to separate the clergy from the common people. These fragments, which still have traces of their original blue and red paint, are now being integrated into the museum display.
Navigating the Visit in 2026
If you’re planning to go, forget the old ways. It’s not a "just walk in" situation anymore. The crowds are significantly larger than they were in 2018, partly because of the "phoenix" effect—everyone wants to see the miracle.
- The Reservation System: You basically have to use the digital booking app. It’s a free entry, but they are strictly managing the flow to prevent the humidity from the breath of thousands of tourists from damaging the newly cleaned stones.
- The New Liturgical Path: The entrance and exit have been rerouted. You now follow a specific "pilgrim's route" that takes you through the history of the building, starting from the North side and circling around the ambulatory.
- Accessibility: They’ve made huge strides in making the interior more accessible for wheelchairs, which was a nightmare in the old, uneven stone layout.
The lighting system is also entirely new. It’s all LED now, programmed to change based on the time of day and the specific religious service. It’s subtle, but it highlights the verticality of the Gothic arches in a way that the old yellow floodlights never could.
The Mystery of the Spire’s Rooster
One of the most emotional moments of the reconstruction was the replacement of the rooster on top of the spire. The original rooster—the one that fell during the fire—was found in the rubble, dented but mostly whole. Inside it were three tiny relics: a piece of the Crown of Thorns, and relics of Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve.
Inside of Notre Dame, you can now see the original, battered rooster on display. A new one, designed with "wings of fire" to symbolize the rebirth of the cathedral, now sits 96 meters in the air. It’s a powerful visual. It’s a reminder that while the building looks "new," it carries the scars of what it survived.
Honestly, the best time to go is late afternoon. When the sun hits the West front, the light pours through the rose window and hits the high altar and the "Pietà" sculpture by Nicolas Coustou. That sculpture was miraculously untouched by the falling debris of the spire. It sat there in the smoke, glowing under the hole in the roof, a symbol of survival that defined the entire reconstruction project.
Actionable Advice for Your Visit
To get the most out of the interior, don't just look at the big stuff. Look at the "restitution" of the painting in the side chapels. The restorers used chemical analysis to find the exact pigments used in the 14th century. The reds are deeper, the golds are brighter.
Also, keep an eye out for the "Vierge à l’Enfant" (Virgin and Child), often called the Virgin of Paris. This 14th-century statue became the face of the cathedral’s resilience. It stood right next to the pillar where the fire was at its worst, yet it wasn't even scorched. It has been returned to its place of honor, and it's the primary spot for people to leave candles and intentions.
If you want to understand the scale, stand in the center of the transept and look straight up. That’s where the spire came crashing through. The stone you see there is new—quarried from the same geological vein as the original medieval stone in the outskirts of Paris—but it’s carved with the same techniques. It’s a bridge between 1163 and today.
Plan your visit for a Tuesday or Wednesday morning if possible. Avoid the weekends at all costs. Even with the reservation system, the square outside (the Parvis) gets incredibly packed. Wear comfortable shoes, because the "new" tour route involves a lot more standing and walking than the old layout. And finally, take a moment to just be silent. The acoustics have changed; the building "rings" differently now. It’s a living, breathing piece of history that proved it’s a lot tougher than it looks.