The first mass in five years was held in Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral on Sunday (December 8), a day after the holy place reopened in an official ceremony.

Dignitaries, world leaders and believers attended the service, during which Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich consecrated Notre-Dame's new altar.

"Whether you are present in this cathedral or in front of a screen anywhere in the world, including perhaps in the rain, listening by any other means of communication. I greet you with intense emotion," he said.

READ: Notre Dame holds first mass after five-year restoration

On the evening of April 15, 2019, dismayed Parisians rushed to the scene and TV viewers worldwide watched horrified as the fire raged through the cathedral.

Notre-Dame has since been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting, its flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles returned to their past glory and white stone and gold decorations shining brightly once again.

Thousands of experts - from carpenters and stonemasons to stained glass window artists - worked around the clock for the last five years, using age-old methods to restore, repair or replace everything that was destroyed or damaged.

The cathedral's first stone was laid in 1163, and construction continued for much of the next century, with major restoration and additions made in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Victor Hugo helped make the cathedral a symbol of Paris and France when he used it as a setting for his 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame." Quasimodo, the main character, has been portrayed in Hollywood movies, an animated Disney adaptation and in musicals.

So much money poured in for the renovation from all over the world - more than 840 million euros ($880 million), according to Macron's office - there are still funds left over for further investment in the building.

(Production: Manuel Ausloos)