Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, ravaged by a massive fire in 2019, was in the spotlight on Friday during a choreographed sequence of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Synchronicity is the second scene of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games this Friday evening. It opens with the historic Parisian monument Notre-Dame built between 1163 and 1345. The Gothic cathedral, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, burned down on April 15, 2019, and is still undergoing renovations.
Its restoration is being carried out by Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of historic monuments. The frames of the nave, the choir and the spire have been rebuilt identically in solid oak, and the spire has partially regained its lead roof. It is also an opportunity to honour the French workers who have worked on this site for the last five years, thanks to the dances, acrobatics performed by artists and music punctuated by the blows of chisels. All this took place to music composed by the French musician and composer Victor le Masne.
Reference to Quasimodo
On the quays and on the roofs, hundreds of ballet dancers and Paris firefighters deployed in a synchronized manner.
While a hunchbacked figure was seen hanging from the spire of Notre-Dame with the rooster at its top. It recalled Quasimodo, the hunchbacked character from Victor Hugo’s novel.