A procession of hundreds of people holding candles walked through the streets of Paris to bring a famed statue of the Virgin Mary and child back to Notre-Dame Cathedral on Friday, five years after it was moved to a nearby church after a devastating fire.

A candlelit procession returned a famed Virgin Mary statue to Notre-Dame five years post-fire. The cathedral reopens on Dec. 8 after extensive restoration. Nearly 40,000 pilgrims registered for services,

Nearly $1 billion in donations were pledged within days of the fire that ravaged Paris' Notre Dame cathedral five years ago.

The bells of Notre Dame tolled in Paris on Friday for the first time since the 2019 fire that threatened to destroy the Parisian landmark. At the time of the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the iconic, 861-year-old structure within five years.

Five years after the devastating fire at Notre Dame in Paris, the cathedral will reopen in less than a month. During the restoration, many artifacts were discovered in the cathedral. NBC News' Kelly Cobiella reports.

In early December, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will reopen after five years of reconstruction. During the first week after reopening, it will be accessible to the faithful and tourists until late evening.