Archbishop of Paris I want six contemporary stained glass windows To one of the side chapels of the nave of Notre Dame, Laurent Ulrich is one of them He informed him of this in his written letter at the beginning of December President Macron. According to his ideas, a tender would be put out to the artists, and they would then choose from the designs they received. Macron did not shy away from the idea, but promised to visit the building anyway on December 8 – exactly one year before the planned reopening – and investigate the issue immediately. He did so, and after his visit, he announced his support for the idea.
The windows intended for replacement were designed by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, the architect who added the tower to the building in the mid-19th century. The six windows involved were not damaged in the fire and, according to the plan, will be displayed in the newly created Notre Dame Museum.
Two days later, on December 10, opponents of the idea — who said the replacement would amount to vandalism — launched an online petition titled “Save the Violet-le-Duc stained glass window at Notre-Dame in Paris!” With the title. Call since then More than 120 thousand people signed itWho believe that change would destroy the harmony of the historic building.
Didier Reckner, creator of the petition Art Tribune Founder of the magazine, it would be a much better contemporary gesture if new windows were ordered for the north tower of the cathedral, where firefighters did their best to save the building.
In that part of the cathedral there are bays without stained glass windows, closed only by stained glass skylights. “Installing these windows with contemporary stained glass will not spoil the original harmony, but will be beneficial to the cathedral,” wrote Reckner, a well-known expert on the subject.
“In the North Tower, the firefighters fought the fire, risking their lives, so the new windows placed here will also have a symbolic role, a kind of tribute to the firefighters. Placing new stained-glass windows in Notre-Dame Cathedral without vandalizing Violet Lou wrote: “The work of the Duc “The original would damage it, but to provide another attraction for future visitors: this solution works for everyone.”
This is not the first idea to make changes to the building that was damaged in a fire in 2019. A few hours after the fire, Macron hinted that he would support “contemporary gestures” in rebuilding the cathedral. He also raised the idea of building a new tower, and because of his violent protest, the president abandoned this idea. The concept, and the new 96-meter-tall tower, which was erected in November, looks exactly like the identical exterior of the tower that was destroyed by fire. The cathedral will reopen its doors on December 8, 2024.
