The 860-year-old cathedral’s rapid reconstruction has seen fire-blackened rubble replaced by gleaming stone, and exciting new designs are now taking shape.

Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich revealed that the reopening will aim to "welcome the whole world," with contemporary updates including designer furniture and colourful vestments by the renowned French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, known as "JC/DC" among his celebrity friends for creating Madonna’s iconic teddy bear coat. 

Inspired by the immense gold cross in the cathedral’s choir, de Castelbajac’s vestments feature geometric patterns and primary colors reminiscent of Piet Mondrian’s work.

In addition to these new priestly outfits, massive bronze furniture, highly stylised and evocative of "Game of Thrones", is being crafted in southern France. This includes a new baptismal font, altar, and tabernacle set to be installed in November.

Visitors will also find 1,500 to 2,000 light oak chairs designed for comfort, alongside vibrant new chapel decorations, seven tapestries, and six new stained glass windows, with contemporary artists such as Daniel Buren, Herve Di Rosa, and Yan Pei-Ming competing to create these artworks.

Rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas stated that future visitors will experience a "strong cultural and spiritual experience," with the cathedral expecting 15 million visitors a year, up from 12 million before the fire.

Key reconstruction milestones are nearing completion, including the famous spire, the wooden frames, the golden crosses, and the rooster weather-vane. State-of-the-art fire protection systems and eight restored bells for the north tower are due to be installed in the coming months, and the new great organ is almost finished.

Reservations for the free-of-charge visits will open a week before the 8 December reopening, with a focus on individuals over groups for the first six months. Notre-Dame will accommodate up to 2,500 people at once and 40,000 per day, double the capacity of the Palace of Versailles, which is ten times larger, and 10,000 more than the Louvre Museum.