The legendary church's reopening "is a historic moment and an opportunity to march behind the Blessed Virgin," reads the Les 7 Routes Notre-Dame website.

Named for the Blessed Mother, Notre-Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris") is an 861-year-old monument beloved and revered by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

In 2019 the world mourned the damage done to the 315-foot-tall spire and roof of the cathedral in a devastating fire. The fire originated under the roof, spreading through the wooden rafters of the attic and consuming the spire, which collapsed.

Except for the main altar, all the works of art in the cathedral and the reliquary containing what is believed to be the crown of thorns were rescued.

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"In this day and age, there are so many possible techniques and materials that we could obviously have found a solution to preserve the colour of lead without using it," said Rainhorn, who teaches history at the University of Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne.

She called it "a missed opportunity, given the symbolism that Notre-Dame represents for the whole world."

"A restoration project that took into account knowledge of lead and toxic products would have demonstrated genuine concern for the public environment, particularly in large cities. In my view, this is a political error with significant health consequences. And it's a choice I find hard to explain," Rainhorn said.

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In his workshop in Périgord Vert, Paul meticulously sands a birch armchair. This is the Pope's future wheelchair. It is a very beautiful birch armchair with a large backrest, neat finishes and symbols.

"I was entrusted with the beams of the frame of Notre Dame de Paris, a survivor of the fire of 2019", he explains.

They were charred. Paul filed them down, centimetre by centimetre, to reach the heart, which was still usable.

"These beams come from oak trees that grew around the year 1200. They are contemporary with Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the Pope." They are used for the armrests of the chair.

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The furnishings include a semi-circle altar rising from a three-step base, a designer bishop's chair, a sleek ambo, and a stylised tabernacle - all in a dark smooth bronze.

But not everyone is happy with the modernist touches created by French designer Guillaume Bardet, whom Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich announced on June 23 had been chosen to make the new liturgical furnishings.

Some have criticised Bardet's work as overly minimalist and too austere. Criticism has been voiced on social networks, notably on Twitter with the hashtag #saccageNotreDame - as in "ransacking" the monumental church.

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