Notre Dame marks arrival of Paris Olympics’ iconic trackside bell as cathedral reopening nears

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral, whose historic bells were silenced following 2019’s devastating fire, will soon echo again with fresh chimes. On Thursday, the Gothic landmark took delivery of three new bells, including one that was used in the city’s Stade de France stadium during this year’s Paris Olympic Games. The Olympic bell, a gift from the Paris 2024 organizing committee, will be installed alongside two smaller bells, named Chiara and Carlos, above the altar where they will be rung during Mass, officials said. Their arrival ahead of Notre Dame’s reopening on Dec. 8 marks a milestone in the painstaking restoration and modernization of the 861-year-old cathedral, made famous around the world by Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”