Paris Notre Dame to be "modernized"

Notre Dame Cathedral, partially destroyed by fire in 2019, will be "modernized", according to the plan of the author of the reconstruction project.

The news of this is a concern among defenders of the history and cultural heritage of France, as well as ridicule from the foreign press. The British newspaper The Telegraph even called the project a "politically correct Disneyland".

After the reconstruction is completed in 2024, the faithful and visitors of Notre Dame de Paris will enter the cathedral through the central gate, and not through the side doors.

The altar will remain in the same place, and a new baptistery will be erected at the entrance to the nave. Only four confessional boxes will be preserved. Another six or seven will be located on the first floor of the cathedral.

In the side chapels of the temple, paintings of the XVI and XVIII centuries will be placed, which will be adjacent to modern art objects. Illuminated with soft lights, they are designed to give a more intimate atmosphere to masses and annual concerts.

For a better understanding of the history of Christianity, the author wants to project on the inner walls of the cathedral quotations from the Bible in several languages, the choice of which has not yet been determined.

On December 9, the project will be presented to the National Commission on Heritage and Architecture, which has been instructed to express its opinion.