the development project “poses a real problem of respect for heritage and the monument”, denounces a historian

At Notre-Dame de Paris, “we are doing a kind of experiment without respecting its historical character, without respecting the installations of Viollet-le-Duc”, denounced Wednesday, December 8 on franceinfo Didier Rykner, journalist, art historian and founder of online press magazine latribunedelart.com, while the archbishopric of Paris will present Thursday morning, before the National Commission of Heritage and architecture, its cathedral development project, currently being restored. Many changes appear compared to what existed before the fire of April 15, 2019.

Didier Rykner recalls that the Paris cathedral “has been classified as a historical monument”. The development project “poses a real problem of respect for the heritage and the monument”. The art historian denounces in particular the arrival of works of contemporary art in the cathedral. “This is one aspect of the project that we do not know. What we simply know is that they want to put a work of contemporary art in each of the chapels in the nave. a systematic aspect which is shocking “. He finds that we “get rid of Viollet-le-Duc to install this contemporary art.”

Didier Rykner recognizes that the clergy “has the right to decide certain things. But there is something which is imposed on them, it is the history, it is the monument”. According to him, “The historical monument classification theoretically prohibits, unless authorized by the Ministry of Culture, to remove the sculptures which are part of the altar and which are therefore immovable by destination. They must at least have respect for what their elders and especially of a certain unity of this cathedral that they want to break “. He also specifies “that a large part of the Parisian clergy who do not agree with that at all.”

Didier Rykner, who signed a column on latribunedelart.com and in Le Figaro, expects the Ministry of Culture to “plays its role of protecting heritage.”