Paris (AFP) - France on Saturday prepared to throw open the doors of Notre Dame cathedral after a half-decade closure during a ceremony attended by dozens of world leaders celebrating the rebirth of the Paris landmark ravaged by a devastating fire.

Held up as an example of French creativity and resilience by President Emmanuel Macron, Notre Dame’s renaissance so soon after a 2019 blaze comes at a difficult time for the country which is without a permanent government.

The two-hour re-opening ceremony will officially begin when archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich knocks three times on the doors of the cathedral at 1800 GMT with a staff cut from one of the wooden roof beams that survived the inferno five years ago.

Macron has scored a major coup by attracting US President-elect Donald Trump, on his first foreign trip since his re-election, for the ceremony along with some 40 other leaders, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and British heir to the throne, Prince William.

It is “a cathedral like we have never seen before,” Philippe Jost, the head of the restoration project, told Franceinfo radio, saying he was proud to “show the whole world” a “great collective success and a source of pride for all of France”.

In one last-minute hitch, harsh weather forced officials to move Macron’s planned speech indoors and pre-record a concert planned for after the ceremony, with forecasts for winds of up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour.

The service will feature prayer, organ music and hymns from the cathedral’s choir, followed by the televised concert – pre-recorded Friday night due to the weather – with performances by Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang, South African opera singer Pretty Yende and an orchestra conducted by Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel.

US singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams is also believed to have taken part.

- ‘Do the impossible’ -

The sense of national accomplishment in restoring a beloved symbol of Paris has been undercut by political turmoil that has left France without a proper government since last week when prime minister Michel Barnier lost a confidence vote.

Macron is hoping the re-opening might provide a fleeting sense of national pride and unity – as the Paris Olympics did in July and August.

The scale of the immense security operation also recalls the Olympics – with some 6,000 police officers and gendarmes mobilised.

The re-opening “is the proof that we know how to do grand things, we know how to do the impossible” Macron said Thursday.

During a visit with TV cameras last week, he somewhat undermined the suspense behind the re-opening, revealing the cathedral’s freshly scrubbed limestone walls, new furniture and vaulted wooden roof cut from ancient oak trees selected from the finest forests of France.

The reconstruction effort has cost around 700 million euros (about $750 million), financed from donations, with the re-opening achieved within five years despite some initial predictions it could take decades and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This state-of-the-art restoration, the fruit of a worldwide collective effort and the use of many traditional French skills, has enabled this masterpiece to regain all its splendour,” said Audrey Azoulay, the head of the UN cultural agency UNESCO, describing the work as “dazzling”.

- Trump show? -

Trump accepted an invitation from Macron to attend earlier this week and hailed their “great” relationship as the two men met at the Elysee Palace ahead of the ceremony.

“You were president at that time (of the fire) and I remember the solidarity and the immediate reaction,” Macron added, speaking in English.

Zelensky joined them for a three-way meeting to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine before they head to the cathedral for a ceremony.

They were to return to the Elysee for a glittering state dinner with all the world leaders.

One surprising absentee will be Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, who is instead visiting the French island of Corsica. A message from Francis addressed to the French people will be read out to the congregation.

Parisians watched in horror in 2019 as flames ravaged Notre Dame, a landmark famed as the setting for Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and one of the world’s most visited monuments.

The apocalyptic images were seen by some as a sign of the demise of Western civilisation, with the 850-year-old wonder saved from complete collapse only by the heroic intervention of firefighters.

The exact cause of the blaze has never been identified despite a forensic investigation by prosecutors, who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely reason.

On Sunday, the first mass with 170 bishops and more than 100 Paris priests will take place at 10:30 am (0930 GMT), followed by a second service in the evening at 6:30 pm which will be open to the public.