Contemporary stained glass windows for Notre-Dame: the National Heritage Commission "takes note"

In its opinion consulted by AFP on Saturday, which remains advisory, the CNPA "notes the desire to continue the project to replace six stained-glass windows designed by Viollet-le-Duc."

It also recommends that the architect's stained-glass windows, which are to be replaced with contemporary ones in six chapels, be restored as soon as they are removed and displayed in a dedicated location, as the ministry told AFP on Friday.

In a message posted on X on Thursday, the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, assured that she would "ensure" it.

Desired by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron and the Archbishop of Paris Mgr Laurent Ulrich, who want to leave a contemporary trace in the building devastated by a fire in 2019 and completely restored, these new stained glass windows must replace six of the seven bays of the south aisle (Seine side) by the end of 2026, designed by the XNUMXth century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

Following a competition in which 110 artist duos associated with master glassmakers applied, the project by Frenchwoman Claire Tabouret, associated with the Simon-Marq glassmaking workshop in Reims, was selected.

Colorful and a "symbol of unity," according to the artist, this project follows a precise set of specifications: "a figurative program relating to Pentecost" in "adequacy" with the stained-glass window representing the Tree of Jesse (1864), which will remain in place. This theme, common in Christian art, represents a schematization of the genealogy of Christ.

Following the award of the contract by the public institution responsible for rebuilding Notre-Dame, six months of study are planned and approximately a year and a half of implementation, according to the Élysée Palace and the diocese. The budget for the project is €4 million, allocated by the Ministry of Culture.

Many heritage advocates behind a petition oppose the project, arguing in particular that the old stained-glass windows were not damaged by the fire. They rely on the Venice International Charter, which in principle prohibits the replacement of existing works with new ones, but which is not legally binding.

Regarding a future "museum of the work of Notre-Dame" in the neighboring premises of the Hôtel-Dieu, on the Île de la Cité, announced by Mr. Macron at the end of 2023, the minister indicated that she had made "innovative proposals in this regard to the President of the Republic, so that the project would be largely self-financed and lead to a completely renovated project for the Hôtel-Dieu," in an interview with Le Figaro published Wednesday.