Paris - The reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is progressing quickly enough to allow it to reopen to visitors and the faithful by the end of 2024, French officials announced on Monday.

The reopening comes less than six years after a devastating fire ravaged its roof.

General Jean-Louis Georgelin, who is leading the colossal project, stated that the cathedral's iconic spire, which collapsed in the blaze, will gradually begin to reappear above the monument this year, symbolizing its revival.

“The return of the spire in Paris’ sky will in my opinion be the symbol that we are winning the battle of Notre Dame,” he told the Associated Press.

The reconstruction work began last year after more than two years of stabilizing and securing the monument, facilitating artisans to start rebuilding the magnificent Church.

The decision was made to rebuild the masterpiece of Gothic architecture as it was before the fire, including the 93-meter-high spire added by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century.

The cathedral will reopen in December 2024, in time for the Catholic liturgy to be celebrated again and tourists to visit.

An exhibition called "Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site" is also set to open, showcasing ongoing operations on the site and the expertise of workers, as well as featuring remains from the fire and works of art from the cathedral.

About 1,000 people work daily to rebuild the cathedral, with the biggest challenge being to comply precisely every day with the planned reconstruction works.

“The biggest challenge is to comply precisely every day to the planning we have done,” Gen. Georgelin stressed. “We have a lot of different works to achieve: the framework, the painting, the stones, the vault, the organ, the stained glass and so on.”

The managing director of the government agency overseeing the reconstruction emphasized that the final result will be faithful to the original architecture by sticking to medieval construction methods and materials.