Carpenter who helped rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral allowed to marry there
Special permission was granted as private weddings are not normally permitted at the Paris landmark
Martin Lorentz married his partner Jade in the nave on Saturday, October 25
Patrick Kerwin / Shutterstock / France Télévision screenshot
A carpenter who worked for three years on the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral has been granted a rare exception to marry inside the iconic Paris landmark, ten months after its reopening to the public.
Martin Lorentz, one of around 500 craftspeople involved in rebuilding the cathedral’s medieval-style timber framework after the 2019 fire, married his partner Jade in the nave on Saturday, October 25.
Private weddings are not normally permitted at Notre-Dame, but the Archbishop of Paris agreed to the ceremony in recognition of Lorentz’s role in the restoration.
The wedding took place while tourists continued to move through the building, which has resumed its place as one of France’s most visited historic sites.
‘The most beautiful day of my life’
The ceremony was celebrated by Monseigneur Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the cathedral, who opened by noting that Lorentz “knew the cathedral from above”, a reference to his work shaping and fitting oak beams high in the roof structure.
Mr Lorentz, who spent three years cutting and assembling timbers for Notre-Dame using traditional methods, described the day as “the most beautiful of my life”.
He was joined by many of his former colleagues, some of whom brought the tools they used during the restoration to the cathedral parvis after the ceremony, where visitors greeted the newly married couple with applause.
He said that the dream of marrying at Notre-Dame had first taken shape during the restoration works, although he believed it would not be possible.
The request was eventually made directly to the Archbishop of Paris and granted on an exceptional basis.
The cathedral has been the site of numerous high-profile weddings across its history, including those of Mary, Queen of Scots to the future François II in 1558, and Marguerite de Valois to Henri de Navarre in 1572 before he became Henri IV.
Notre-Dame also hosted the marriage of Napoleon III and Eugénie de Montijo in 1853.
