With or without a hint of modernity? A petition with more than 120,000 signatures has opened a new controversy over the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which will reopen its doors on December 8, 2024. The renovation of the Gothic temple, closed since the great fire that devastated it In April 2019, it faces its final stretch. But the announcement by the president, Emmanuel Macron, of the replacement of six stained glass windows with more modern ones has clouded the last section of the works. The signatories argue that replacing them would break the “architectural unity” of the Parisian monument.
The petitionreleased on December 10 by art historian and journalist Didier Rykner, refers to the stained glass windows designed by the French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, responsible for the restoration of the cathedral from the mid-19th century. They are located in the southern part of the nave and were not affected by the fire that destroyed the temple's spire and part of the roof. “The Notre Dame stained glass windows designed by Viollet-le-Duc were created as a coherent whole. The architect wanted to be faithful to the Gothic origins of the cathedral,” writes the reporter, founder of the magazine The Tribune de l'Art.
During his last visit to the works, on December 8, Macron announced the creation of a museum, which will be near the temple and will deal with its history and the works of art it houses, as well as the organization of a public competition to choose a contemporary artist to design the new stained glass windows. The idea of replacing them and, incidentally, adding a “21st century brand” to the temple not only comes from the president but from the French Church itself. In a letter, the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, had expressed to the French leader his “desire” that the State commission “a series of six stained glass windows for the south side chapels of the nave.”
Criticism, however, is directed above all at Macron. “Who has given the head of state a mandate to modify a cathedral that does not belong to him, but to everyone?” ask the signatories of the petition, which adds new support every day. It is not the first controversy that has broken out in relation to the reconstruction of the monument, which before its closure attracted more than 12 million visitors a year.
The reconstruction of the emblematic 93-meter spire, also designed by Viollet-le-Duc, aroused passions between those who wanted to keep it the same and those who preferred to innovate. Finally, it was made identically to the original.
In May, a project by the Paris City Council to vegetableize The surroundings of the monument also generated tensions. The issue even had a political dimension. Another recurring controversy concerns lead levels, since the next step is to coat the needle with a layer of this toxic metal. Its use generates concern among the residents of the temple, located in the heart of Paris. On November 30, politicians, NGOs and neighborhood organizations demonstrated in front of the cathedral to demand that its danger be taken into account, both at an ecological and public health level. On the day of the fire, April 15, 2019, nearly 400 tons of lead ended up in the atmosphere. The public body in charge of the restoration work argues that the new layers do not present a danger to the public because they are located about forty meters above the ground.
The controversy of the moment focuses, however, on the stained glass windows with geometric motifs by Viollet-le-Duc. Rykner denounced in an article that replacing them in that part of the cathedral is committing an act of “vandalism.” The journalist, a well-known commentator on French architectural heritage, stressed that he is not opposed to inserting contemporary creations in old buildings, but that in this case there are no valid reasons to remove the stained glass windows. The stained glass windows, he points out, “are an integral part of the architect's work and survived the fire.” Removing them “would damage the balance of light.”
As a solution, he proposes placing them in the north wing, the place where firefighters fought the hardest to put out the flames and save the cathedral, an artistic and cultural reference worldwide. Supporters of more modern stained glass windows remember that those designed by Viollet-le-Duc will be exhibited in the new museum, which will open in the coming years. However, detractors emphasize that the stained glass windows are only of interest to the cathedral itself, as part of the building. The goal of the petition, which will be delivered to the Elysée, seat of the French presidency, is to reach 150,000 signatures. The temple has 2,500 square meters of stained glass, of which 8% are from the 12th century and the rest from the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries, he indicated. Olivier Ribadeau Dumasthe rector-archbishop of Notre-Dame, in the newspaper La Croix.
A total of 848 million euros have been contributed by private donors to finance the reconstruction. With the first funds also flowed the first controversies. Not only because of the million-dollar donations, but because of the tax exemptions provided by the French patronage law. The new controversy opens a question: is it possible to touch Notre Dame without awakening conflicting passions?
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