Notre-Dame to celebrate first mass since fire shuttered cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral will celebrate Mass on Saturday evening, the first since a fire destroyed large parts of the iconic Paris landmark nearly two months ago.

Around 30 people will attend in in the Chapel of the Virgin on the east side of the cathedral and will be required to wear safety helmets.

Since the roof and spire collapsed in the blaze on April 15, workers have been trying to clean the inside and outside of the 12th-century edifice as well as restore parts of the church.

Culture Minister Franck Riester said Friday that the cathedral remained in "a fragile state" and the vaulted roof "could still collapse" at any moment.

Total restoration costs to reconstruct the cathedral could reach almost €850 million ($955 million) and take more than a decade to complete.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to complete reconstruction in five years, a timeframe experts say is probably unrealistic.