Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral stands not only as a symbol of religious devotion but also as a cherished cornerstone of our cultural heritage, revered both nationally and internationally.
To gaze upon its magnificence is to journey through the annals of France’s oldest Gothic cathedrals, alongside Noyon, Senlis, Laon, and Sens. Its monumental construction commenced in 1163 and culminated in 1345, a testament to centuries of artistic and architectural prowess.
By 1844, Notre-Dame faced a perilous state of disrepair. Stripped of significant portions of its decorative sculptures during the 18th century, including its spire in 1792 and the statuary of the Galerie des Rois in 1793, it underwent extensive restoration efforts from 1865 under the supervision of Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.
Following this pivotal restoration, maintenance and preservation efforts for this national monument have been ceaseless.
A monument at the center of art history
The clarity of the composition, the balance between verticals and horizontals impress all visitors as they approach the cathedral’s facade.
The abundance of carved decoration draws attention to the vivacity and quality of the sculptures, whether original or from the major restoration project carried out in the 19th century.
The interior of the cathedral is an experience that enchants everyone, with its grandeur, the stunning rose windows in the transepts, the impressive votive statues and the grandeur of the large organ. In the chapels, magnificent paintings reveal the crucial role of religious art in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The cathedral’s treasury houses a collection of priceless works of art, dedicated to worship. Notre-Dame de Paris is truly a landmark, both in the history of Gothic architecture and in the history of art from the Middle Ages to the restoration movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Classified as a historical monument in the list of 1862, it is an integral part of the “Paris, banks of the Seine” property included in the UNESCO world heritage list. The classified area includes the large monuments, buildings, gardens, squares and piers that line the Seine, from Saint-Louis Island in the east to Ile aux Cygnes in the west.
A monument at the heart of French history
Painting « The Coronation of Napoleon « (in French: Le Sacre de Napoléon 1807), in Notre-Dame, by the painter Jacques-Louis David.
The cathedral is also an emblematic monument in the History of France, judging by the number of important events that took place there: the wedding of Henri de Navarre (future Henry IV) and Marguerite de Valois in 1572, the coronation of Napoleon in 1804, the celebration of a Te Deum during the liberation of Paris on August 26, 1944, or the masses of the Presidents of the Republic Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou and François Mitterrand.
It inspired the greatest artists, including Victor Hugo, one of the first promoters of its restoration who transformed it into a literary monument of international influence with his novel Notre-Dame de Paris.
Receiving almost 14 million visitors per year, it is the most visited monument in France and Europe.
April 15, 2019: A “drama for all French people”
“The fire at Notre-Dame de Paris is a drama for all French people,” said Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
Notre-Dame de Paris has crossed the centuries and survived wars and revolutions, facing the changes in our societies with an unchanging face.
The emotion felt around the world during the fire of April 15, 2019 demonstrated how much of a universal symbol Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, which has a special place in our collective memory, was.
Shock, perplexity, international commotion, drama, disaster, tragedy, catastrophe, trauma, sadness, mourning… there was no shortage of words to describe everyone’s feelings during this shock wave, the consequences of which we are still evaluating.
The national and world press covered the event and several newspapers made available, a year later, on their websites, the “minute by minute report”, the “evening report”, the “dawn film”, the memory of the “battle of Notre -Dame”…
The Ministry of Culture, after recalling the night’s events in a brief and impressive visual report, especially highlighted the testimonies of those closely involved – firefighters who fought during that night, agents of the ministry of culture who rushed to the side of Notre-Dame. .
The heritage is testimony to a building genius that has been expressed in our country for centuries. The tragic fire that hit Notre-Dame de Paris cruelly reminds us that we must protect it, maintain it, restore it, value it every day to pass it on.” – Franck Riester, Minister of Culture
Way of the cross
The reconstruction was a real ordeal from the start: the project was delayed in the summer of 2019 due too measures to combat lead contamination, rain at the end of that year paralyzed work and then a forced pause due to the combination of Covid-19 and the health crisis in early spring 2020. Not to mention the heated debates.
The most emblematic:
Should the arrow be rebuilt exactly as it was, as desired by the architect in charge of Notre-Dame, or should it be an architectural audacity, as desired by the government?
The first option, preferred by the majority of French people, prevailed. Every region of France, or almost all of them, contributed to the reconstruction.
In July 2023, a simulation of the assembly of the first floor of the arrow was carried out in Briey (Meurthe-et-Moselle), the base of the workshop where the wooden parts of the structure are made. In Hagetmau, a small town in the Landes, a family-owned carpentry shop will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2024 by delivering the most prestigious order in its history: the 1,500 chairs destined for the cathedral.
This will allow 2,500 masses and 150 concerts per year to resume. Four years after the fire, investigations led by three judges continue to determine the origin of the disaster.
At the end of the preliminary investigation, the hypothesis of an accident was the most likely.
Notre-Dame de Paris reopening schedule
Less than a year before the completion of the work, the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, revealed the calendar of festivities that will accompany the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, scheduled for December 8, 2024. They will last until June 8 2025, on the day of Pentecost.
A few weeks after blessing the golden rooster, the symbol of the resurrection recently reinstalled at the top of the monument, Mgr Ulrich revealed the reopening program. In a pastoral letter published on February 2, the archbishop revealed that the statue of the Virgin and Child, saved during the fire, will be the first to pass through the doors of the Gothic building in November.
See the program:
November: a procession will be organized to accompany the return of the statue of Notre-Dame, currently preserved in the church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, next to the Louvre Palace. Everyone is invited to participate in this great popular procession.
December 7: The cathedral will be inaugurated on this day. Firstly, the State, as owner, will officially hand over Notre-Dame to the Catholic Church, which is the recipient. This transition will be followed by the awakening of the organ, a liturgical celebration with blessing, a Magnificat or Te Deum. To close this exceptional day, vespers will be recited.
December 8: The first mass in the restored cathedral will be celebrated and the consecration of the altar will take place during it.
December 9: the faithful will be able to visit Notre-Dame to celebrate the Immaculate Conception, moved this year to December 9 due to the second Sunday of Advent.
From December 8th to 15th: to celebrate the reopening of Notre-Dame, an octave will be organized: each day, for eight days, a solemn celebration will be held with a specific theme.
Until June 8, 2025: the reopening period will end on Pentecost.
Mgr Ulrich also announced that he invited public figures, donors, all the teams that worked on this project of the century, the rescue firefighters of April 15, 2019, French and foreign bishops, representatives of French dioceses…
Without forgetting the French, Parisians or no, to whom this monument is so dear.
The Archbishop of Paris is considering a proposal for pilgrimages for Parisian parishes, with the aim of allowing them all to participate in the masses, readings and prayers they have been deprived of for five years.
He sees these pilgrimages as an opportunity to rediscover this cathedral which he describes as the “place of origin” of Catholics in the Île-de-France region.