PARIS – The historic Notre Dame Cathedral, located in the heart of Paris, has reopened, defying the odds after a devastating 2019 fire left the iconic structure on the verge of collapse.A five-year, $700 million restoration project rebuilt the roof, replaced iconic stained-glass windows and culminated with the installation of a weather vane renowned for its symbolic significance.In 2023, the golden copper rooster was lifted by a crane and placed atop a spire where it watches over the City of Light.Although Notre Dame Cathedral was constructed in the 12th century, a weather vane was not added until several hundred years later during one of the Gothic structure’s renovations.According to the group Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, the renowned architect placed a small piece of the Crown of Thorns, a relic of St. Denis and a relic of St. Geneviève inside the rooster in 1860, where they remained until the fire of April 15, 2019.SEE IT: PARIS BLANKETED IN MOST NOVEMBER SNOW IN OVER 55 YEARSThought to be lost in the charred remains was the weather vane with its three historical relics, but it was later found.”This remarkable find provided a glimmer of hope amid the destruction, and it has since become a symbol of resilience and hope for the people of Paris and the world,” the group stated.In addition to indicating wind direction and its religious significance, the rooster also holds deep cultural importance for the Parisian people.The bird is widely considered to be the unofficial national symbol of France and has a long history of being used for insignias and other emblems.”The rooster is considered a symbol of the French people because of the play on words in Latin, where ‘gallus’ means both ‘Gaul’ and ‘rooster,’” the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris stated.The rooster is said to stand apart from the many gargoyles and grotesques, which too were damaged by flames and have been either been replaced or repaired.THE HISTORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON’S WEATHERVANEChief architect Philippe Villeneuve, one of nearly 2,000 individuals who worked on the project, is credited for designing the new weather vane. Similar to the original fixture, the rooster contains relics as well as a list of the names of people who worked on the cathedral’s reconstruction project. “Achieving the impossible together. This is France,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement upon visiting the reconstructed cathedral.The original weather vane was last said to be on display in the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine museum in Paris.Millions of visitors are expected to flock to Notre Dame in the months following its reopening, and reservations are strongly recommended.How to plan ahead and visit the landmark: https://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/