First unfavorable opinion for the contemporary stained glass project for Notre-Dame

This commission, which met on Thursday, "issued an opinion unfavorable to the removal of the stained glass windows of Viollet-le-Duc", according to a press release. This opinion is advisory, it is specified.

Emmanuel Macron announced in December, while visiting the restoration site of the cathedral partially destroyed by a fire in 2019, that he was in favor of the installation of contemporary stained glass windows in six chapels on the south aisle of the nave (Seine side).

They are intended to replace 2026th century stained glass windows, created by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, and should not be installed before XNUMX.

The opinion of the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture is based on the principles of the International Charter on the conservation and restoration of monuments, adopted by France in 1965, which recommends not destroying an element classified as a monument. historic to replace it with a contemporary element, reported Le Figaro.

Some 110 pairs of artists and master glassmakers initially applied for the design of these contemporary stained glass windows. An artistic committee was tasked with designating “a winning pair” in order to present a prototype for the reopening of the cathedral, scheduled for December 8, after a titanic five-year reconstruction project.

Despite this first unfavorable opinion, the National Commission added that it would examine the selected project at the end of the year.

“At that time, it will be able to appreciate, in view of the project, the interest for the cathedral of the contribution of this creation,” specified the Ministry of Culture.