French President Emmanuel Macron’s desire to be immortalized in the windows of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral may be shattered as his plans for contemporary designs face furious opposition.
Macron’s plan involves replacing the large windows of six side-chapels in the south aisle of Notre Dame’s nave with contemporary designs in yellow, pink and green stained-glass, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The president’s aides have said the redesign is to remind future generations of the 2019 fire that engulfed the medieval structure, according to the outlet.
The plan, however, has been met with backlash as art historians and architects argue the harmony in the cathedral’s design is at risk should more modern windows be installed.
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Macron is seeking to leave his mark on the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with redesigned, contemporary stained-glass windows. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla, File)
France’s National Heritage and Architecture Commission unanimously voted in July against Macron’s proposal, prompting one artist in the running to design the new stained-glass windows to drop out of the competition.
“When I read that, I said, ‘We’re stopping everything,’” Pascal Convert, 67, told the outlet.
Windows in the heart of Notre Dame are seen on Nov. 28, 2024. (AP/Stephane de Sakutin)
Claire Smith, a professor of archeology at Flinders University Australia, told the outlet that Macron was “inserting himself” into the cathedral in an “opportunistic and self-aggrandizing” way.
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Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader of France’s opposition party, wrote on X last month that “a leader can’t sully, this priceless heritage on a whim,” referring to the window controversy.
The nave of Notre Dame Cathedral is seen on Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP/Stephane de Sakutin)
Macron’s plan is expected to be opposed through France’s court system.
The cathedral reopened last month in Paris with an opening ceremony attended by then-President-elect Donald Trump, then-First Lady Jill Biden, Prince William and other notable figures.
The restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. (Ashley J. DiMella / Fox News Digital)
Carpenters worked by hand like their medieval counterparts as they hewed giant oak beams to rebuild the roof and spire that collapsed during the inferno.
Nearly $1 billion in donations were raised to rebuild Notre Dame in the days following the fire.
