The French are up in arms against the proposal to place modern stained glass in the Notre-Dame Cathedral

Paris - During a visit to the renovated, fire-damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris last week, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that modern stained glass should appear in the windows. His statement immediately sparked outrage among the public and hesitant reactions from experts, writes Le Figaro. More than 67,000 people signed a petition against the intention to replace 19th-century stained glass, created by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, within three days.

"The fire did not damage the stained glass, and they are a historical monument just like the entire structure," said art historian Didier Rykner in the text accompanying the petition from the specialized website La Tribune de l'Art. He notes that he has no objections to modern stained glass if the originals had been damaged, which is not the case with the cathedral. He writes about Macron's proposal as "vandalism."

Macron wants to give the building a "mark of the 21st century" with the new stained glass, and an artistic competition will be announced for their realization. The original stained glass would be relocated and displayed in a newly created museum. According to Le Figaro, the idea comes from Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, and Macron agreed with his proposal. However, critics of the plan argue that the glass decorations only make sense in their original locations, as they are part of the architectural design.

The world-renowned architectural and ecclesiastical monument in the heart of Paris was engulfed in flames on April 15, 2019. The fire spread in the framework and consumed large parts of the medieval building. The cause of the fire has not been fully clarified. It could have been caused by an electrical fault or a discarded cigarette butt. The monument, protected by UNESCO and made famous by Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, attracted around 13 million visitors annually before the fire.

The reconstruction of the cathedral's exterior is expected to be practically completed by July next year, when Paris anticipates a surge of visitors during the two-week Olympics.