Archinect has received first photos of Notre Dame Cathedral’s completed restoration following the special ceremony that was held in Paris over the weekend in celebration of the unprecedented five-year rebuilding effort.

Images taken from inside the restored landmark showcase the extraordinary effort that went into the project, requiring an international army of more than 2,000 workers and skilled tradespeople working under the command of the late four-star General Jean-Louis Georgelin (who died tragically last summer) and his chief architect Philippe Villeneuve. 

It was Villeneuve's desire, as he stated, to "erase the horror" felt in the wake of the April 2019 tragedy by restoring the cathedral as closely to Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's 19th century design as possible. 

Accounting for the extent of the damage—the church's timber framework, roof, spire, and three sections of the vault covering its nave were completely lost—this was not an easy task to pull off. The results, seen in further detail below, can be taken as a testament to the French state's will power and knowledge-sharing ability of the global architecture community. 

The total cost for the restoration surpassed $800 million. A few minor controversies, discoveries, and technological innovations were included along the way as well.