Notre Dame closed for Christmas

For the first time since the French Revolution more than two centuries ago, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will not hold a Christmas Mass. The Paris cathedral has remained closed since a fire destroyed the roof and spire in April.

What will happen to Christmas worship? Notre Dame’s congregation and choir will celebrate a midnight Mass on Wednesday at another Gothic church, Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, near the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame rector Patrick Chauvet said. The cathedral’s 14th-century Gothic sculpture called The Virgin of Paris is on display there. Notre Dame kept up its Christmas services during both world wars, but this year, the fire-damaged structure is too fragile to open it to worshippers, officials said.

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz and Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report on how the fire at Notre Dame highlighted social disunity in France.