Notre Dame Cathedral has hosted its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019.

The day after an inferno struck Notre Dame cathedral in 2019, its chief architect, Philippe Villeneuve, walked despondently into its remains.

French President Emmanuel Macron has toured the reconstruction works at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

A general named to oversee reconstruction of fire-devastated Notre Dame Cathedral has received a public reprimand for advising the chief architect for Frances historic monuments to shut his mouth.Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelins battlefield-style talk irked Culture Minister Franck Riester who tweeted on Thursday that such remarks are unacceptable.The incident highlights disagreements over the medieval Paris landmarks reconstruction. Architect Philippe Villeneuve insists that the buildings signature 19th Century spire, which collapsed in the April fire, should be rebuilt exactly as it was instead of being redesigned from scratch with a possible contemporary touch. Georgelin told a parliament commission Wednesday the decision should be taken serenely, indicating that all options should be left open. He said he had told Villeneuve several times ... to shut his mouth.

(CNN) - Europe is sweltering in intense heat, suffering through the latest heat wave in a summer that has seen at least 12 countries experience record-breaking temperatures. In June, a heat wave broke temperature records in eight countries, including France, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. A Eurostar train traveling from Belgium to London broke down on Wednesday, trapping passengers in 40 degrees Celsius heat, without air conditioning. Otto said that France took important mitigation measures after a heat wave in 2003 contributed to tens of thousands of premature deaths. These were activated during the June 2019 heat wave and measures including closing schools and setting up helplines reduced the impacts," he said.

(CNN) - Notre Dame survived a massive fire months ago, but the beloved Paris cathedral is facing a new threat: a heat wave. The high temperatures bearing down on Europe may be a threat to the ailing building, according to Chief Architect Philippe Villeneuve. "I am very worried about the heat wave because, as you know, the Cathedral suffered from the fire, the beams coming down, but also the shock from the water from the firefighters. The masonry is saturated with water," Villeneuve told Reuters on Wednesday. The heat wave across Western and Central Europe will bring staggering temperatures to France.