On 21 November, the ‘artistic commission’ set up by the Ministry of Culture met to choose the artist who would - if all goes wrong - create new stained glass windows for Notre-Dame cathedral. They would replace those designed by Viollet-le-Duc, which had been listed as historic monuments, spared by the fire and restored with donor money.
For the time being, the name of the one selected is being kept a closely guarded secret. Not only because the President of the Republic, who decided on the replacement with the complicity of the Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Ulrich, no doubt does not want the controversy to spoil the celebrations surrounding the reopening of the building. But also because the operation does not seem simple.
According to our information, the projects of the eight candidates were not really convincing, and none really stood out [1]. Although a vote was held, with everyone being asked to indicate their favourite project, it seems that there was no clear winner. The result of the deliberations was then given to the archbishop of Paris, and the committee members were told that matters were now in the hands of the prelate.
The fact that the committee was not really in a position to make a decision was somewhat predictable, given that the initial choice it had made to select the finalists from among the 83 projects, i.e. six candidates, had already been overturned. With artist Pascal Convert having finally withdrawn, only five artists should have remained in the running. But three names were arbitrarily added to the committee’s shortlist, including Daniel Buren, who is known to be a favourite of the French President. The press release from the Ministry of Culture was very clear on this point: "After taking into account the opinion of the Artistic Committee chaired by Mr Bernard Blistène, the candidates selected for the second phase are as follows". In other words, the committee only has an advisory role.
The final choice will in fact be that of Emmanuel Macron, theoretically validated by Laurent Ulrich. And that will not necessarily be easy. The French President wants Buren, no doubt still believing himself to be in the 80s and thus doing something disruptive. It is likely that the archbishop will be more inclined to select a more figurative project (even supposing that Buren’s project can be figurative). So anything is still possible, and no one knows, except perhaps the President of the Republic, when the winner of this open competition will be announced.
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- 1. Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Notre-Dame on 29 November 2024.
In the background on the left is a detail of the stained glass window in the chapel of
Saint Genevieve chapel, which is one of those to be replaced.
Screenshot of the video of the visit - See the image in its page
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- 2. Stained glass window in the chapelle Sainte Geneviève (image taken from the competition’s technical and heritage specifications)
- See the image in its page
What is certain is that today’s visit by the President of the Republic to the restored cathedral, and the video that was shown of it, shows just how perfectly suited these Viollet-le-Duc stained glass windows are to the cathedral. Even if the screenshots we are publishing here (ill. 1 and 3) are not completely representative of their quality (the image is a little blurred, and the colours are dull), it is clear that the light they distil is very beautiful, Viollet-le-Duc having carefully measured out his effects. Photos of the corresponding stained glass windows are published alongside the two illustrations (ill. 2 and 4).
The first visitors to the monument will be able to admire these restored stained glass windows, and it will be very difficult to convince them that they need to be changed, at great expense (remember that the total cost will be between 3 and 4 million).
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- 3. Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Notre-Dame on 29 November 2024.
In the background on the left is a detail of the stained glass window in the chapel of
Saint Pierre chapel, which is one of those to be replaced.
Screenshot of the video of the visit - See the image in its page
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- 4. Stained glass window in the chapelle Saint Pierre (image taken from the competition’s technical and heritage specifications)
- See the image in its page
We therefore invite our readers who have not yet done so to sign the petition to put an end to this farce. Viollet-le-Duc’s stained glass windows must remain in place. And if necessary, the Sites & Monuments association will take the matter to court.