Notre-Dame’s heart beats again with a wedding for craftsman who rebuilt it — first in 30 years

Notre-Dame Cathedral, freshly reopened after five years of restoration following the devastating 2019 fire, has now witnessed another historic moment: its first wedding in three decades, held in honor of one of its own craftsmen.Martin Lorentz, 29, a craftsman who spent three years reconstructing Notre-Dame’s medieval wooden framework, married his fiancée, Jade, on October 25 inside the cathedral, New York Post reported.News of the ceremony was reported by the National Catholic Register and France 24 TV. The one-time exception was approved by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris in recognition of the workers who helped resurrect the 12th-century masterpiece.Weddings at Notre-Dame are exceedingly rare because the cathedral is not a parish church and does not normally conduct sacraments for individual couples. As the seat of the Archbishop of Paris and a national monument, it serves primarily as a site for major religious and state ceremonies rather than private events. Only the archbishop can authorise a wedding there, and such dispensations have been granted just a handful of times in its 860-year history. About 500 guests attended the ceremony, most of them fellow artisans, engineers and restorers who took part in the massive reconstruction effort after the 2019 blaze that destroyed Notre-Dame’s roof and spire. “It’s the happiest day of my life,” Lorentz said of the couple’s big day. Lorentz had asked the archbishop earlier this year for permission to wed in the cathedral he helped save. “I want to share my love — our love — with the whole world, with everyone who needs it.” “I don’t think I can say anything else.” Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, the cathedral’s rector, officiated the Mass and welcomed the couple with a personal touch. “Jade and Martin, welcome to this cathedral. Martin, you know it well — you know it well, you know it from above,” Ribadeau said, referring to the roof beams Lorentz helped craft by hand. When the newlyweds emerged from the cathedral, dozens of carpenters formed an honour guard, raising their axes in salute. Tourists who gathered outside joined in applause as the couple stepped out into the crisp Paris air. The Oct. 25 ceremony symbolised the cathedral’s gradual return to life after years of painstaking restoration. Reconstruction crews rebuilt the roof and spire using the same medieval methods that shaped the original structure 860 years ago. Notre-Dame reopened on Dec. 8-2024, with Archbishop Laurent Ulrich presiding over the historic moment alongside French President Emmanuel Macron before 1,500 guests.