A crane raises the new rooster to install it at the top of the spire of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, which was ravaged by a fire in 2019 that sent its spire crumbling down, as restoration works continue in Paris, France, December 16, 2023. (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)

In the April 15, 2019 fire that ravaged the cathedral, the old rooster had crashed through the roof along with the wooden spire at the top of which it had been fixed. It was found dented but nearly intact among debris the day after the fire, and will be displayed in a new Notre Dame museum.

The new weather vane rooster, made of golden copper, was blessed by the Paris archbishop Laurent Ulrich during a ceremony on Saturday morning. Inside, it features religious relics and a parchment with long list of the names of workers as well as donors and patrons.

Last week, during a visit to the rebuilt spire, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that reconstruction of the cathedral would be completed as scheduled and that it would reopen within 12 months.