France Médias Monde channels cover reopening of Notre-Dame

5 December 2024

After more than five years of complex construction following the fire that partially destroyed the Cathedral in 2019, the doors of Notre-Dame de Paris will reopen on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 December, the dates of the reopening to the public and the first Sunday mass. To bring this global event to life for its listeners, viewers and Internet users, France Médias Monde channels are covering the event in special programmes in French and 21 other languages.

Journalists from RFI, France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya have followed the progress of the work over the past five years and have met with the major players in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame. The channels are offering series of documentaries, reports, as well as interviews and analyses to understand the scope, particularly internationally, of this historic and religious monument.

All times are Paris/CET (GMT+1)

On France 24

The four France 24 channels (in French, English, Arabic and Spanish) will offer worldwide coverage of the reopening of Notre-Dame to their viewers and Internet users. Special correspondents intervene live to deliver the highlights of the ceremonies, accompanied by guests and international commentators on set.  

  • Friday, December 6:

> At 4:15 p.m., “News» offers a special edition on “The builders of Notre-Dame, yesterday and today”.

Laure Manent meets women who helped rebuild the cathedral: a construction manager, an art restorer and a roofer. They talk about the difficulties they encountered in bringing an 850-year-old building back to life, but also their enthusiasm, alongside the hundreds of craftsmen who worked tirelessly to enable the reopening promised for December 8, 2024.

A show that can also be found in English in “The 51 Percent», presented by Annette Young on December 6 at 4:15 p.m.

> At 12:15 p.m., “ On Show » (in French) and « Arts 24 » (in English), offer a portrait of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac who presents at the “Notre Dame workshop” the liturgical vestments and ornaments that he made for the approximately 700 prelates who will take part in the reopening ceremonies.

On the Arabic channel, “ Paris Secret », presented by Tatiana El Khoury , offers a special Notre-Dame de Paris program, five years after the restoration work.

> In news coverage

France 24 is broadcasting live, in French, English, Arabic and Spanish, the official ceremony of December 7 and is covering the return of the faithful to the cathedral throughout the day.  

Throughout December 7 and 8, France 24 will broadcast a series of reports, special editions, and will welcome numerous guests on set.

> On digital

The France 24 digital editorial team is offering a liveblog to follow the ceremonies of December 7 and 8 in real time. The special correspondents offer exclusive content, to be followed on the website and social networks of the international channel in French, English, Arabic and Spanish.

All the reports, portraits, interviews and magazines broadcast on France 24 can be found on france24.com and social networks.

On RFI

> Special editions 

  • Saturday, December 7th

Throughout the day, the editorial team offers interviews and live reports from Notre-Dame to follow the official reopening ceremony and its preparation. At 7:20 a.m., the editorial team welcomes  Philippe Villeneuve , chief architect of historical monuments in charge of Notre-Dame, in “ Le grandinvité international  ” .

At 1:10 p.m., special edition with Patrick Jouenne , carpenter, responsible for the construction site, design and assembly of the spire of Notre Dame and Dany Sandron , professor of medieval art history at Sorbonne University.

From 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., RFI is dedicating an edition to the event, with Emile Armand Benoit , roofer-ornamentalist, named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2015, who participated in the renovation of Notre-Dame de Paris, and Father Bertrand Auville , priest of the diocese of Nanterre.

  • Sunday, December 8

Special editions from 8 a.m. with many guests, including Benjamin Mouton , former chief architect of Notre Dame and member of the Scientific Council for the restoration of Notre Dame, and live interventions from correspondents around the world and special envoys to Notre-Dame for the first Sunday mass.

At 10:30 a.m., the “ Big report » (20 minutes) by Muriel Maalouf looks back at the saga of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris (also broadcast on Thursday, December 5 at 12:10 p.m. and 8:40 p.m.).

From 11 a.m., Véronique Gaymard presents a special program of “  Religions of the World  ” live, in the presence of Arnaud Alibert , editor-in-chief of Religions of the newspaper La Croix, and with several interviews.

> Also available in RFI magazines

  • Saturday, December 7 at 6:10 p.m .: “ The political workshop », presented by Frédéric Rivière , devotes a program to the links between the State and the Church today.
  • From Sunday, December 1st to January 26th at 8:55 a.m. and 1:54 p.m  .: in the 9-episode special series of “ 100% creation : The builders of Notre-Dame  ”, Maria Afonso meets the craftsmen (bell maker, organ builder, chandelier maker, stained glass artist, etc.) involved in the reconstruction of the cathedral, which involved building trades, craftsmen and designers for the restorations and reconstructions.
  • Sunday, December 8 at 2:10 p.m .: in “ So far so close ” , Céline Develay-Mazurelle offers a 3D audio sound immersion, produced by RFI Labo, in the daily life of the cathedral. Based on recordings made a few years before the fire, RFI invites you on a timeless journey to the heart of the most famous cathedral in France, which is preparing to resume its former life, from the square crowded with tourists to the sacristy, via its nave or its two towers with their fantastic bestiary.

> RFI in foreign languages

RFI’s 16 foreign-language newsrooms also offer a comprehensive system to retrace the reconstruction process, from the fire to the reopening on December 7, through videos, series of reports, interviews, monitoring of construction sites, etc. To make this saga of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame heard throughout the world and in all languages, in which international artisans participated, a symbol of France throughout the world.

> On digital

All reports and content can be found on the digital environments and the siterfi.fr, which devotes an article to the reconstruction of Notre-Dame and the scale of the work. A file on the history of the cathedral can also be found on ” RFI Knowledge », the section that provides the keys to understanding the world.

On MCD

  • Thursday 5 and Friday 6 December at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.:

“Journal of Culture », at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., presented by Lina Mahmoud , is devoted to the human and cultural aspects of the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, five years after the terrible fire of April 19, 2019.

” Hot coffee », at 8:45 a.m., hosted by Hanane Abdallah and Atif Ali Salih , offers fascinating stories from enthusiasts, as well as reflections on the importance of Notre-Dame as a universal symbol of resilience and unity.

  • Saturday, December 7 at 5:30 a.m. and 7:50 a.m.:

“  Dialogue  ”, presented by Rita Courie, offers an interview with Father Ralph Chamoun, parish assistant of the Notre Dame du Liban cathedral in Paris, about the reopening.