Notre-Dame Cathedral’s Controversial New Stained-Glass Window Designs Go on Display
The windows, commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture after the devastating 2019 fire, have sparked a debate about historical preservation
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The designs for six controversial new stained-glass windows for Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris have gone on display in a new exhibition at the Grand Palais. The show features full-size models, sketches and other preparatory work, according to Le Monde’s Emmanuelle Jardonnet.
The windows, designed by French artist Claire Tabouret, were commissioned to commemorate the cathedral’s restoration following the 2019 fire that destroyed its wooden spire. They will be replacing six windows that suffered no damage during the fire, which has generated tension among cultural heritage groups and art historians.
“Every time there is a new artistic intervention in a historic part of Paris, there is a controversy, and it’s interesting to be part of that history,” Tabouret tells the Art Newspaper’s Caroline Roux. “The Buren columns in the Palais-Royal, I. M. Pei’s Pyramid at the Louvre—they go on to become beloved parts of the city. Change should be made with caution, and this project is very cautious, very gentle, harmonious.”
Quick fact: When was Notre-Dame Cathedral built?
Construction began in the 12th century, and the iconic cathedral’s nave, choir and western facade were completed by 1250.
The works by Tabouret, a figurative painter who has resided in Los Angeles for a decade, were selected from over 100 submissions during a competition held by the French Ministry of Culture. The project is part of a nearly $900 million effort to rebuild Notre-Dame after the devastating 2019 fire. Her vibrant window designs depict the story of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem, as instructed by the competition committee.
The biblical story was chosen because it describes the appearance of “tongues of fire,” which connects the project to the 2019 blaze, Tabouret told the New York Times’ Matt Stevens in February.
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The new designs will replace a series of monochrome windows commissioned by 19th-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc on the cathedral’s south side. Tabouret made sure to nod to Viollet-le-Duc in her new take on the windows, which she created with stained-glass master Atelier Simon-Marq.
“I quote from Viollet-le-Duc in the ornamentation in the background of every scene,” Tabouret tells the Art Newspaper. “These geometrical designs make a direct reference to the previous windows.”
After the French Ministry of Culture announced its plans to update the stained glass, more than 300,000 people signed a petition opposing the project. Among the dissenters are France’s National Heritage Commission, which insisted that the change conflicts with international heritage guidelines.
“I’ve read about the different opinions of people because I want to understand their arguments and also to take an approach that is open and two-way,” Tabouret said at a December 2024 press conference, per Agence France-Presse. “I find it a fascinating debate.”
The 19th-century windows that preservationists are jumping to defend were affixed to the cathedral centuries after it was built. Renovations have long played a role in Notre-Dame’s history. Viollet-le-Duc himself oversaw many updates and changes to the cathedral during his time.
“The idea of using and reusing and transforming is part of the history of this building,” Tabouret told the Times. “Each renovation does modify what was before. So it would be kind of weird to freeze it in time.”
“We have to trust our art the same way every century before us trusted our artists,” she added.