Paris: Notre-Dame Cathedral to miss first Christmas in centuries

For the first time in more than two decades, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris will not hold a Christmas mass.

The cathedral’s office said midnight mass would still be celebrated on Christmas Eve but it would be held at the nearby church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois.

Notre-Dame was ravaged by the April 15 blaze losing its Gothic spire, roof and many precious artifacts.

President Emmanuel Macron has set a timetable of five years to completely repair the eight-centuries-old structure.

The culture ministry said in October that nearly one billion euros ($1.1 billion) had been pledged or raised for the reconstruction.