Wow Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has Record Breaking 11 Million Visitors in a Year as One of the World's Top Tourist Attractions!
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After several years of restoration work, Notre-Dame has reopened its doors and is already attracting record crowds. By the end of the opening year, 11 million visitors have discovered the cathedral, admiring its spectacular reconstruction and marveling at its peaceful atmosphere.
After its restoration, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is ready to take center stage once again. In 12 months, 11 million tourists have visited the cathedral, a record. "I really wanted to see it again. I told myself, if we go to Paris, I have to go inside and see for myself how it's done compared to what we saw on television. And I'm not disappointed. Honestly, they've done a tremendous job ," says one tourist. Another is captivated: "Seeing it like this, rebuilt in just a few years, you think it's impossible, it's amazing."
Many have come to admire the cathedral's chandeliers. The relief reveals its intricate details. With 30,000 visitors each day, the place remains relatively calm despite the crowds. And when the noise becomes a little too noticeable, loudspeakers broadcast a sound and a message, ensuring calm and smooth flow in the aisles.
At the end of their visit, the tourists were delighted. "Everything was perfect, the queue was short, we strolled around, it was wonderful ," explained one visitor. "I went straight in, but in a continuous flow. Without any waiting," rejoiced another.
Top of the world's tourist attractions
Notre-Dame has once again become the most visited monument in France, ahead of the Louvre (9 million visitors last year) and the Palace of Versailles (8.4 million). Globally, the cathedral surpasses the Taj Mahal (7 million tourists), but falls short of Beijing's Forbidden City (17 million visitors).
Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, rector archpriest of Notre-Dame, does not wish to exceed these figures: "11 million is a figure which is the threshold for which visits go well. The cathedral is not large, more would harm the tranquility and serenity of the visit , " he specifies.
Blessing of the Provençal nativity scene at Notre-Dame de Paris
At Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a Provençal nativity scene was specially designed and staged for the cathedral, bringing together more than fifty figurines. Installed by the International Nativity Scene Makers' Fair in Arles, it was unveiled and blessed on November 29, the day before the first Sunday of Advent, the period when we prepare to celebrate Christmas: the birth of Jesus.
(Below - Notre Dame Sacred Music - Magnificat d'Yves Castagnet -02 Quia respexit- Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris - Henri Chalet direction)
The Christmas nativity scene , a symbol of the birth of Jesus in the simplicity of a stable, finds its place at Notre-Dame de Paris. Surrounded by Mary and Joseph, the newborn welcomes shepherds, artisans, peasants and families: the santons, witnesses to the joy and popular fervor of Christmas.
On display until February 2, 2026, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, this nativity scene invites visitors to contemplate the mystery of the Nativity and to fully enter into the liturgical time of Christmas , in the heart of the cathedral.
The Crown of Thorns is now displayed every Friday at Notre-Dame
Usually venerated every first Friday of the month at Notre-Dame de Paris between 3pm and 5pm,the Crown of Thorns will now also be presented in public display every other Friday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. starting December 5, 2025.
The story of the Holy Crown of Thorns
According to the gospels of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark and Saint John, the Roman soldiers, on the night of Good Thursday to Good Friday, mocked Christ by placing a crown of thorns on his head before crucifying him.
It was venerated in Jerusalem from the end of the 4th century, then transferred to Constantinople in the 10th century. King Saint Louis acquired the Crown of Thorns from the Latin Emperor of the East in 1238. And it was on August 19, 1239, that it arrived in Paris and was carried in procession to Notre-Dame.
To preserve it, Saint Louis later had the Sainte-Chapelle built. Despite the melting down of reliquaries during the French Revolution, the relic was preserved. It was given by Napoleon I to the Archbishop of Paris and has been kept in the treasury since 1806.
This relic invites us to contemplate the Paschal Mystery, the heart of the Christian faith, and to welcome the Promise of eternal life that Christ offers to all humanity .
The Christmas nativity scene , a symbol of the birth of Jesus in the simplicity of a stable, finds its place at Notre-Dame de Paris. Surrounded by Mary and Joseph, the newborn welcomes shepherds, artisans, peasants and families: the santons, witnesses to the joy and popular fervor of Christmas.
On display until February 2, 2026, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, this nativity scene invites visitors to contemplate the mystery of the Nativity and to fully enter into the liturgical time of Christmas , in the heart of the cathedral.
The Crown of Thorns is now displayed every Friday at Notre-Dame
Usually venerated every first Friday of the month at Notre-Dame de Paris between 3pm and 5pm,the Crown of Thorns will now also be presented in public display every other Friday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. starting December 5, 2025.
The story of the Holy Crown of Thorns
According to the gospels of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark and Saint John, the Roman soldiers, on the night of Good Thursday to Good Friday, mocked Christ by placing a crown of thorns on his head before crucifying him.
It was venerated in Jerusalem from the end of the 4th century, then transferred to Constantinople in the 10th century. King Saint Louis acquired the Crown of Thorns from the Latin Emperor of the East in 1238. And it was on August 19, 1239, that it arrived in Paris and was carried in procession to Notre-Dame.
To preserve it, Saint Louis later had the Sainte-Chapelle built. Despite the melting down of reliquaries during the French Revolution, the relic was preserved. It was given by Napoleon I to the Archbishop of Paris and has been kept in the treasury since 1806.
This relic invites us to contemplate the Paschal Mystery, the heart of the Christian faith, and to welcome the Promise of eternal life that Christ offers to all humanity .
The SACRED MUSIC season at Notre-Dame de Paris welcomed Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio Elias, entrusted to the French Army Choir, to young artists from the Notre-Dame de Paris Choir School and the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance, under the direction of David Reiland.
On the Île de la Cité, as night falls, the souvenir shops close their shutters and the cathedral square empties of tourists, giving way to music lovers. The Sacred Music season at Notre-Dame draws a large audience, who on this November evening are attending a major work: Felix Mendelssohn 's oratorio Elijah . "This work, which speaks of reconciliation, is particularly fitting, since one of Notre-Dame's chapels was recently named after this prophet, a symbol of mercy," announces the evening's host, wearing a Roman collar, over the microphone before the concert.
This score, among the most emblematic sacred works of its author, which borrows as much from Romanticism as from the Passions of Johann Sebastian Bach , is presented here in concert in its German version of 1846. It has all the hallmarks of an oratorio in its purest form: a full symphony orchestra, four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and a large choir which assumes here a role of witness, there of narrator or even of actor, carrying the word of the people of Israel whom the prophet Elias has the divine mission to convince.
https://www.olyrix.com/articles/production/8674/elias-mendelssohn-notre-dame-de-paris-25-novembre-2025-article-compte-rendu-critique-paul-emile-burgevin-rakotonirina-andrianjafy-pinel-marie-cecile-hebert-reiland-maitrise-notre-dame-de-paris-choeur-de-l-armee-francaise-orchestre-du-conservatoire-de-pariOn the Île de la Cité, as night falls, the souvenir shops close their shutters and the cathedral square empties of tourists, giving way to music lovers. The Sacred Music season at Notre-Dame draws a large audience, who on this November evening are attending a major work: Felix Mendelssohn 's oratorio Elijah . "This work, which speaks of reconciliation, is particularly fitting, since one of Notre-Dame's chapels was recently named after this prophet, a symbol of mercy," announces the evening's host, wearing a Roman collar, over the microphone before the concert.
This score, among the most emblematic sacred works of its author, which borrows as much from Romanticism as from the Passions of Johann Sebastian Bach , is presented here in concert in its German version of 1846. It has all the hallmarks of an oratorio in its purest form: a full symphony orchestra, four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and a large choir which assumes here a role of witness, there of narrator or even of actor, carrying the word of the people of Israel whom the prophet Elias has the divine mission to convince.
Chosen from among the students of the vocal disciplines department of the Paris Conservatory (CNSMD) and the Notre-Dame de Paris Choir School , the soloists are also young artists. To interpret the title role, Paul-Émile Burgevin displays effortless high notes and a supple vocal technique that allows him to grasp all the lyricism and nobility of Mendelssohn 's writing . Admittedly, the role of the prophet in the Book is usually given to a heavier baritone than the young singer, but there is already in his timbre something of that expected darkness, which will undoubtedly only blossom with time.
Sources: https://www.franceinfo.fr/culture/patrimoine/incendie-de-notre-dame-de-paris/reouverture/notre-dame-11-millions-de-visiteurs-pour-la-cathedrale-de-paris_7641713.htmlhttps://www.notredamedeparis.fr/benediction-creche-provencale-notre-dame/
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