The Remaking of the Notre Dame Cathedral: A Lesson In Restoration, Passion And Detailing

It’s a late awakening for us in India but one that is gaining gradual momentum. Preserving our heritage has firm roots in many developed countries, it’s not just about government priority but more an intrinsic part of the average consciousness. France has impeccable credentials and is also signed as strategic partner in our redevelopment of North and South blocks on Raisina Hill. We capture in these pages the restoration of the fire-destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, re-opened only last month.

The teams, the people, the man hours went into this elaborate exercise

The work of designer and sculptor Guillaume Bardet, the liturgical furnishings consist of five key elements: the altar, cathedra and associated seats, ambo, tabernacle and baptistery. Each piece has been designed in sculpted bronze for its powerful, timeless and luminous aesthetic. The furnishings are being produced at the Barthélémy Art foundry in Crest (Drôme).

The Diocese of Paris commissioned Guillaume Bardet to design liturgical objects, namely the sacred vessels. The collection of sacred vessels includes the chalice and paten, a monstrance, one large ciborium and several small ciboria, a censer and shuttle, cruets, a ewer and a basin. In accordance with liturgical requirements, the sacred vessels are made of precious metals, in this case, silver and gold.

A collection of almost 30 pieces (including the censer, cruets, ewer, basin, etc.) was produced by the Atelier d’Orfèvrerie Marischael, goldsmiths from father to son for 4 generations.

The designer, Vincent Dupont-Rougier, was commissioned to create the additional furnishings, including stanchion posts, votive candle burners and votive stands. “I wanted to create furniture that would be in dialogue with Notre-Dame’s thousand-year-old Gothic-inspired architecture, its arches, columns and stained-glass windows; but I also wanted to echo the softness and transparency that move both the worshippers and visitors that come from all over the world”, explains designer Ionna Vautrin.

Ionna Vautrin is also responsible for designing other new cathedral furniture such as kneelers, individual prie-dieu, benches and long prie-dieu, while maintaining the overall aesthetic harmony These other items of furniture were also produced by Bosc.

Numbers of items: 1,500 chairs • 170 kneelers • 40 pews • 60 individual prie-dieu • 20 long prie-dieu

The manufacture of the reliquary was entrusted to Ateliers Saint-Jacques & Fonderie de Coubertin for the woodwork, casting, stonework and metalwork, and to master glassmaker Olivier Juteau for the glass cabochons.

To mark the celebrations for the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in December 2024, a series of vestments and liturgical ornaments were created in collaboration with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

Designed by the Patrick Rimoux Agency, the cathedral’s lighting scheme offers a range of lighting scenarios, including 10 architectural scenarios, 30 liturgical scenarios and 10 concert scenarios, using 2,175 lights and 1,550 spotlights.

For the first time in the cathedral, allthe spotlights are individually controlled from a central lighting board. This means that the intensity of each spotlight can be independently increased or decreased by varying the wattage. The white light can also be nuanced in terms of colour, from 2200K for a warm candle glow to 5000K for a bright white light.

How much is original. Have designs been upped any bit so to say, or only stay original?

A new route through the cathedral

The new route takes visitors from north to south, in line with the cathedral’s core, unchanging features, in particular the choir enclosure which features sculptures of scenes from the life of Christ in the north, and scenes from Christ’s resurrection in the south. The app and guides will help visitors understand the meaning of this route, which is shown on the map on the right.

New furnishings

The cathedral’s vast volume is the first thing that visitors experience. Once past the baptistery, visitors are directed to the north aisle. There they come immediately to the reception desk designed by Agence NC Nathalie Crinière, which wraps around the first column.

It consists of a low metal counter embellished with wood that will adjust its color according to the ambiance of the cathedral. Its slightly spiral shape is designed to accommodate requests along its entire circumference while leaving maximum space for visitor movement. From here, visitors can pick up a brochure or audio guide or receive personalized advice from the welcoming staff. This space meets all the requirements for public-access buildings and does not block any of the cathedral’s architectural features. Symmetrically, on the south side, the gift shop is fully open under the arches of the aisle. Low and made of metal, it twines around the last two columns with the slight twist of a Möbius strip. The only high element, a glass display window in the narrowed area between the columns, is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. It is illuminated by a set of small lights along the counter. The welcoming staff’s stations are spread all around it between the displays of available items.

Visitor Access to the Cathedral

In order to make visiting to Notre-Dame easier and more secure, a digital time slot reservation system has been introduced for access to the cathedral. Access to the cathedral will be restricted to individual visitors and worshippers for the first 6 months, until Pentecost 2025. Groups will only be able to enter after the first 6-month period.

A “visitor guide” application (developed by Mazedia) is available on the cathedral website and on Android and Apple stores. The app will help all visitors rediscover the building, with particular attention to accessibility. A range of publications, guides and catalogues are also available.

Finally, there is a reception team to welcome visitors and worshippers to the cathedral. It is embodied by the smiles of the cathedral staff and 500 volunteers who will all work to ensure access, comfort, contemplation, meditation and prayer within this magnificent site.

Cost of this refurbished version, source of funds

The public entity Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris is responsible for the restoration of the cathedral, whereas Diocese of Paris is responsible for the interior furnishings. The “Notre-Dame Atelier” brings together all the craftspeople and experts that have worked on the various restoration projects. It is this team that has brought this project to a comprehensive and coherent fruition.

More than 340,000 donors have contributed to the restoration of Notre-Dame through three foundations: the Notre-Dame Foundation, the Fondation du Patrimoine and the Fondation de France.

Source: Press Kit – Atelier Notre-Dame – Jun25

ABOUT THE NOTRE-DAME FOUNDATION

The Notre-Dame Foundation is the benchmark foundation for Christian philanthropy, working to alleviate poverty and vulnerability, and spreading the faith. It is particularly committed to preserving our cultural and historical heritage, ensuring it lives on today and will be passed on to the generations of the future.

The Diocese of Paris is entirely responsible for the extensive programme of interior renovations, which is not covered by national funding. Funding for these interior renovations (liturgical furnishings, seating, sound/light, reliquary, visitor route) is shared between the Fondation Notre Dame and the Diocese of Paris. As a recognized charity, the Fondation Notre Dame only funds non-cultural or heritage projects that are essential to the reopening of Notre-Dame.


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