The crown of light, a new scandal at Notre-Dame de Paris

An article published three days ago in La Tribune, written by Philippe D’Indevillers, tells us that the chief architect of historic monuments, Philippe Villeneuve, regrets that ‘the archbishop of Paris has refused the return of the crown of light, a large neo-Gothic chandelier drawn by Viollet-le-Duc, on long-term loan to the Saint-Denis basilica, where it hangs above the altar’.

We have already mentioned the case of the large chandelier in the transept crossing (see article) which, after restoration, was long-term loaned to the Saint-Denis basilica in 2014, even though it and the twelve smaller chandeliers that accompanied it were created by Viollet-le-Duc specifically for Notre-Dame as part of its restoration. We wrote at the time: ‘Cardinal Lustiger had continued this erasure of the great architect’s work by sending for long-term loan the crown of light that adorned the transept crossing [...], by removing the choir gate and removing the candelabras and cross from the high altar’.
In a letter dated 3 February 1986, kept at the Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie, the Inspector General of Historic Monuments, Georges Costa, wrote about another matter concerning the cathedral (the planned long-term loan to Orsay of the lectern - ill. 2 - belonging to the same ensemble created by Viollet-le-Duc): ‘I can only deplore the disturbing ease with which the clergy seem ready to get rid of religious objects - a list of which I would like to know - on the pretext that they are no longer in use, even though they belong to the cathedral’s historical heritage’.