Notre Dame Primps for Its Grand Post-Blaze Return. But Why Does the Cathedral Look Unfinished?

The bells of Notre Dame are chiming again, but scaffolding still clinging to the cathedral's exterior is puzzling some Parisians, who question whether its grand post-blaze reopening is more symbolic than substantive.

When French President Emmanuel Macron inspects the rebuilding work on Friday, in his final tour of the construction site, he'll see the renovated interiors with his own eyes. But he also won't be able to miss the construction work and cranes that clutter the exterior of the nearly 900-year-old monument.

The day after the April 2019 blaze that destroyed the spire and roof, Macron pledged that "we will rebuild the cathedral to be even more beautiful, and I want it to be completed within five years."

The reality has proven more complex.

While the interior will be ready to host visitors and the faithful on Dec. 8 for the first time since 2019, scaffolding at the base of the newly-restored spire will remain into 2025 and for another three years on the monument's east side, Philippe Jost, who is masterminding the reconstruction, told The Associated Press this month.

Unfinished exterior puzzles some Parisians

The blaze and rebuilding that turned the cathedral into a no-go zone for the public left a literal hole in the heart of Paris, and many locals are longing for it to be filled by the reopening.

Some, however, had been expecting the monument to look as pristine on the outside as officials say it does once again on the inside. Around 140 million euros (around $150 million) of unspent funds remain in the reconstruction budget -- an indication of the scale of work that remains to be completed. Cranes and makeshift worker facilities – showers, changing rooms and alike – still feature. And while a lot of scaffolding has been removed, tons of it remain.

"It's an eyesore," said Anne Leclerc, 54, a lawyer. "It feels like a half-finished project."

Jean-Baptiste Lefèvre, a retired 65-year-old teacher, recalled Macron's five-year completion wish, and questioned whether the reopening is being rushed prematurely to please him. Macron's second and last term ends in 2027.

"It's politics, and he wants it to be finished while he's still president," Lefèvre suggested.

"What's the point of such a big reopening when it's not even finished?" Lefèvre said, gesturing toward a crane. "It looks like a construction zone."