Church puts foot down on Notre-Dame entrance fee

France's powerful culture minister on Monday locked horns with the country's Roman Catholic establishment on whether tourists should pay to enter Notre-Dame cathedral when it reopens next month.

Before a devastating 2019 blaze ravaged the landmark, Notre-Dame was among the most visited buildings in Europe, with 14 to 15 million a year expected to visit once the cathedral reopens on December 7 and 8.

But where tourists to London's St Paul's have to fork out £25 (about R570) and non-praying visitors to Milan's Duomo need to hand over at least €10 (about R190), those wishing to marvel at France's most famous religious building could previously do so without opening their wallets.