Last week, Notre Dame reopened after it tragically caught fire in April 2019. 

Five years of hard work to rebuild the masterpiece have brought the ancient architecture and its works of art back to its original shine but in a newer, more modern light. 

The legendary cathedral was constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries and has been a globally recognized place of religion and beauty since. Notre Dame’s long hallways, beautiful arches ,and undeniably incredible architecture make it a truly inspiring place for both people of religion and those seeking a life-changing experience. 

Notre Dame was built with the intention of being a place for catholicism to grow and prosper, but over the centuries it has become a place of religion in general. Today, it is a place of unified religion, a place where people from all over the world can go to appreciate and rejoice their beliefs. 

Gina Mariotti, the calligraphy teacher and former French teacher at Camas High School (CHS), has been to Notre Dame three times. The day the cathedral burned down was especially devastating for her. 

“I think if you’ve been there you know how beautiful it is…the point of that architecture is to make you feel small and that God is big, so you definitely feel small inside of those arches,” Mariotti said. 

After Notre Dame burned, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, stated that the cathedral would be rebuilt in five years. An incredible feat of teamwork and construction, they managed to pull it off, and the reopening was an incredible success. 

An especially inspiring fact about Notre Dame is that the cathedral was built directly in the center of Paris, France. This is symbolic of the importance of religion in France, from the 11th century through today. 

“There’s a spot right out front in the courtyard that marks the center of Paris, so that is actually where all the streets were built from. So the city of Paris is really related to that spot, you can actually stand there… so it’s kind of a foundation for the city. I think it’s not just a church, it feels like a really important place.” Mariotti said. 

Stewart Morgan, an AP World and AP Lang teacher at CHS, has also been to Notre Dame and experienced its beauty in person. “I saw it back in 2008, but I was back here working at Discovery High School teaching, and one of my students stood up and said ‘Hey! Notre Dame is burning down right now!’ and we stopped what we were doing and ended up watching it happen.” 

Now that Notre Dame has reopened, French exchange student Robin Charent has a special outlook, even though he is currently a senior at CHS.

 “It’s a very good thing for the French and for the French future…it’s very good for our country. Go France!” Charent said.