A battered copper rooster that used to sit atop the spire of Notre-Dame Cathedral is to go on public display more than five months after the massive fire that almost burnt the iconic building to the ground.

An ornate tapestry woven in the early 1800s and rescued from Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral after a massive fire in April is going on public display for only the third time in recent decades.

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild the devastated Notre-Dame Cathedral within five years, and less than 48 hours since the blaze began, tycoons, companies, local authorities and individuals have stepped forward with donations totalling some €900 million. Other pledges include free transport, timber and renovation work.

REIMS, April 19: President Emmanuel Macron might have hoped he was striking a note for modernity and openness in announcing an international competition to design a new spire for Notre-Dame cathedral, but he may have opened a can of worms instead.

PARIS, April 17: France will invite architects from around the world to submit designs for rebuilding the spire of Notre-Dame cathedral that was destroyed in a devastating blaze, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Wednesday.