Episode 21 - The New Windows of Notre Dame and the Repeated Destruction of History

The debate surrounding the new stained-glass windows of Notre-Dame de Paris has reignited a familiar question: how much of the past should be preserved, and how much should be reimagined? 

In this episode, we explore the controversial plans to replace historic windows in the cathedral and place the discussion within a much larger story. From revolutions and restorations to political movements and changing artistic tastes, history is filled with examples of cultural treasures being altered, removed, or destroyed in the name of progress. 

Are the new windows a continuation of Notre-Dame’s long history of transformation, or are we witnessing the loss of another irreplaceable piece of the past? 

Join us as we examine the latest controversy and the centuries-old struggle between preservation and change.

For more info, photos and links visit ClaudineHemingway.com

www.claudinehemingway.com/new-paris-in-bleu-blonde-rouge/2026/6/2/episode-21-the-new-windows-of-notre-dame-and-the-repeated-destruction-of-history

Transcript

0:00

Bonjour, bonjour, and welcome to episode 21 of Paris and Blue Blanc Rouge with me, Claudine Hemingway. It is a very rainy day here today in Paris. Last week it was about 20 degrees warmer and it was just the first few days of our heat wave. And thankfully that is over, and it's gonna be in the 60s this week and rain, and you know, I'm actually not too upset about it after last week. And if it's raining all day when I'm at home getting ready and recording the podcast, it's also just fine. It's all cozy. But today I wanted to share a story with you that has been in the news a little bit. It's been something that's been going on for years, and a lot of things that happen in Paris uh make the news internationally, of course, because it's Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, and it's fantastic. But there is also a lot of times when things are in the news, especially the US news about Paris, they're not exactly accurately described or shown, especially because there is a massive amount of clickbait anytime you use anything about Paris. I have been getting numerous messages from people, including people that I know that have been sending me and asking me how Paris is and is it really as bad as everybody is saying, and and I've just kind of responded and said, What are you talking about? I said, Everything is kind of just fine and normal here. And it's because of this weekend, Paris Saint-Germain won the Championship League for the second year in a row, which is a really big deal. And when that happens, anytime there's a major sporting event, especially because it's football or you know soccer for you Americans, it is as if it's a big thing, they the people go crazy. And there is probably something just about every weekend or every other weekend where there's something where a car is set on fire or people jumping around and it just gets a little crazy. So it just was like that a few weeks ago when they qualified for the finals and then they won. And the police in advance were like, you know, we're you're not allowed on the Champs-Élysées. They closed the bars on the Champs-Élysées. They businesses boarded everything up because that is always the big place where everybody goes. And they, you know, all of these businesses are trying to protect themselves, which is that side of this is is really horrible. The fact that these businesses get broken into and looted and everything, and not condoning this obviously in any way, shape, or form, but this is kind of normal. So here of it's been making a lot of news about what happened, but it is also just kind of what always happens when they have. And if the the World Cup is coming up, and I'm sure France will do very well. And if that's the fa if that's the case, then it's gonna happen again. It just happens all the time. And if there's protests, g lesion, whatever it is. But with all that being said, yes, it probably looks, and especially the way the US news wants to show it, and they really beef it up for a little bit of the fear factor and to freak everybody out. Um, but there is no reason to be afraid about coming to Paris. It's very isolated. That was in one evening, and since then it's been fine. And my biggest thing when I have clients that are coming to Paris and they're watching the news all the time and it's freaking them out. I say, just my number one rule of thumb is as soon as your American news station says anything about Paris, change the channel. Just don't watch it because it whatever it is, or just watch it and take it, take about 10% of it and just dial it back and just be calm and then check the French news sources. They're not perfect either, but it is it's just very different the way it is construed on the US media and also, you know, of course, online. So it, you know, you could always message me and ask me, but literally the other day I was like, Well, I don't know what you're talking about. Everything's fine. Because that is also just kind of normal here. But it everything's fine here. No, no worries about coming to Paris. It's all those things, any of those things, whether it is a demonstration or a strike or any of that stuff, it's always isolated. It's always isolated in one or two areas, and you could literally be be two blocks away and not even know that it's going on. So it's you know, it's just like that with anywhere in the U.S. If you saw that there was something happening, you know, happening in New York, you know, you you might message everybody you know in New York, but they probably would be telling you the same thing. What are you talking about? Because it is a big city, but Paris is you know fantastic and it always makes the news. And so that is that's just kind of my advice. Just, you know, everything's fine, everything's great here, other than it's pretty wet today, and it's Roland Garros. So that's always exciting. But there was this perfect storm of these concerts, you had Roland Garros, you had the Championship League game, everything all happening literally on one evening. And so it was also just this perfect storm of of things going on. But what I want to talk to you about today, and I had a different plan for this week's, and then of course, I decided after talking to a friend of mine that was here in town, I was talking about Notre Dame and the controversy going on right now with the replacement of the windows, and I decided to move that up and do that today. And of course, it set me deep down a rabbit hole. And if you want to know how these things kind of come together, I usually, of course, have an idea and I I have this calendar, this just for the podcast, and I fill it up when there's like a date. I love anniversaries or any of those kinds of things. So I love to tie it into something, like if it's the whatever anniversary of something or you know, the anniversary of somebody's death or their birth or whichever historical event. But I will a lot of times share a story with you that of course I know something about, but then to share it with you, I want to go deep, deep, deep into it. And I don't, I need to work on my off switch. I'm not very good at the off switch because I could even today I was up working on this at 3 a.m. That doesn't sound so strange because that's pretty much the time I wake up every day. But I literally have to tell myself at about 11 o'clock, like, stop. Do you no more because otherwise this is gonna be like a three-hour episode? But I find these things and then there's all these things that relate to it, and especially with this subject today, there's all these things that go along with this in the lead up to this and go behind the whole literally vandalism, the structural vandalism that is going on at Notre Dame and has gone on for a very long time. And most of this, it's it's crazy. I you can't even in these stories where they could easily equate some of these things in the past to help their to help uh get their message out, or all of the books that I have about Notre Dame, there's so many of these things, and I'll tell you about it as we go, that aren't even listed or mentioned in some of these things. And so it just kind of boggles my mind. But of course, they also, you know, they they are probably those writers are probably better at their off switch than I am because I just need to find more. And there's things that I wanted to add to this that I stopped myself, and we'll do that in some other episodes because when it comes to Notre Dame, I could go on and on and on and on for thousands of days about all the elements in there. But I think I did on the old podcast, I did a lot about the chapels and the the decor and what everything means. And I think I'll do some of those again, but with even more information because I am able to go much deeper here and share things with you. So I will do that. And if you have something in Notre Dame or anything and you want to know more about it, or you have a question, send me an email, ClaudineHemingway at gmail.com, and let me know. Or if you want something that, you know, I just you want me to do an episode on, let me know, and I'll add it to my big list. I probably add like three, three, four things at least a day to that list. But some of them I get all of them I get really excited about. So let's just get in here today. I'll try that again since I just knocked over the microphone. The restoration of Notre Dame after the 2019 fire was nothing short of a miracle. In just over five years, the cathedral opened its doors once more to the faithful, but in reality to millions of tourists. However, with any major project in France or anywhere in the world, there will always be a political or self-serving edge that sneaks in. On December 8th, 2023, President Macron announced that the so-called urging of Bishop Laurent Ulrich has intended to add a new contemporary windows to the cathedral to reflect the fire and the Renaissance. At the time, it was thought that the windows might reflect the craftsmen and women and even the fire itself, but that was not at all what we would eventually see. Ulrich was named Bishop of Paris on April 26, 2022, and oversaw the restoration of the cathedral's interior, including its furniture and decoration. We were told by the diocese that whatever had been inside the cathedral on April 14, 2019, the day before the fire would return. That has been far from true and a flat out lie. Over the last 161 years since Violet Le Duc's restoration was completed in 1865, bishops and church officials have continued to erase his contributions. In creating this week's podcast episode, I wanted to take a deeper look at the controversies surrounding the new windows at Notre Dame, but as with anything, it led me down another road. The systematic vandalism of Notre Dame was done by the church officials who should be there to protect it. Eugene Violet-le-Duc, the man behind the restoration of many of the French monuments, including the Basilique Saint-Denis, Notre Dame du Paris, built in the thirteenth century, barely survived the many conflicts and the revolution, but was thankfully saved when Victor Hugo wrote Notre Dame du Paris in 1831. Suddenly a light shone upon the cathedral and a cry to save it from destruction sparked a competition among architects. Violet Le Duc was a self-taught architect and his partner, Jean-Baptiste Lassous, had just finished restoring Saint-Chapelle and were primed to take on this monumental task. Violet was just 29 years old and already had extensive experience with Gothic churches. They wanted to preserve as many 13th-century details as possible and restore each element in style. Violet wasn't just an architect, but also an artist. He created meticulous drawings of each of the statues, gargoils, kings, and stained glass windows. By hiring the best craftsmen in France, they could create each element lost over the years. Lasseux died in 1857 during the construction, leaving Violet with the huge task and the voices of critics, which to this day have never been silenced. The commission was awarded on March 31st, 1844, and the project was completed in 1865. For over 20 years, Violet Le Duc had the spire rebuilt, redesigned the lead roof, and the 16 statues of the apostles and the evangelists. He had the gargoyles, returned the statues of the kings to the facade, and rebuilt much of the statuary around the doors of the cathedral. The inside is where his brilliance really shines, none more so than in the chapels, or the chapels before 1950, I should say. Violet looked at each chapel as a canvas, one that would incorporate all elements combined that tell a story, including the translucent colored tapestry of stained glass. When Violet took on this massive endeavor, the cathedral had suffered through the revolution, the destruction of the original stained glass under Louis XV, and the near total loss when the city tried to sell the cathedral off for parts. Thankfully, there weren't any takers. Breathing new life also meant a return to color. The overall theme of a Gothic cathedral is light, the appearance of lightness that you see on the exterior, the capturing of the light that fills the interior, and the guiding principle of Violet Le Duc. In the words by the architect himself, first, the Cathedral of Paris, as is well known, is oriented in such a way that one entire side of the monument faces south and the other north. One of these sides therefore receives a brighter and more colorful light than the others. It seems necessary to take advantage of this arrangement to establish overall harmony. Rather than counteracting the orientation, it was deemed necessary to reinforce it. Thus, firstly, all the windows of the chapels facing south are decorated with griselle in warm tones, while those facing north have grizzle in pearly and cool tones. From this it follows that upon entering the monument, one sees one side in light, one side in shadow, one side warm and bright, the other side cold. That instinctively produces a generally tranquil effect on the eye. Nothing is more tiring for the eyes in an interior lit by the contrasting light of similar qualities in terms of light intensity, tonal value, and color. The paintings of the chapels had to naturally correspond to the system of light distribution. Following a general rule, the tonality of the paintings on the north side is cooler than that of the south side. However, as unity must be maintained from distant to distant on the south side, gray tones, green tones, and cool tones recall the general harmony of the north side, and on the northern side, warm tones recall the general harmony of the south side. Some look at the windows of the north and south nave that are predominantly gray or grizel and might think they aren't as beautiful as the type of colored stained glass you see in the Chevette or Saint Chapelle. Here is Villet Le Duc explaining his theory. Indeed, the colored light from the stained glass windows, even if they are, as we say, only grizzelle, breaks down the pure colors such as vermilion yellow and intense blue, weighing them down. It is necessary to counteract this influence by seeking tones that, on the contrary, acquire value from the translucent coloring of the stained glass window. Thus, for example, if the stained glass window spreads a light lilac glaze with a slightly azure tint and one wishes to obtain a blue tone, one must green the blue a purple tone. One must warm the lacquered tone with a yellow. A green tone, one must keep the tone very light and transparent. If, on the contrary, these stained glass windows color the light in a very slightly purplish yellow, the green tones must be almost blue. The blues azure, the yellow is greenish, the red lacquered. When these muted tones have the proper value due to the light illuminating them, the touches of pure color take on their true value and are not, or rather do not appear to be decomposed by the quality of the day. It is therefore useful, we believe, to consider the examples we give in the collection of paintings in light of the location of the chapels and consequently the light they receive. Thus, one will have the explanation of a certain harmony of muted tones. It is, of course, hard to envision this today in 2026 because the painted walls of the knave chapels were destroyed in the mid-20th century, less than 100 years after they were created. The Bishop of Paris, Marie Dominique Auguste Cibor, wanted to restore the chapels and launched a fundraising campaign within the parish. Violet Le Duc, a lifelong atheist, was surprisingly close with the bishop and the two developed a deep trust. The two began to create a plan for the names of the chapels and the themes of each, picking saints, figures, and those who had been attached to the church. The chapels of the nave were never part of the original plan of the 12th century church. During construction, wealthy guilds and families approached the church and said that they would pay to have a chapel built. Next thing you know, the wall of the nave in the transept was destroyed and bumped out, creating 14 chapels. It was up to the owner to decorate and maintain the interior, and most had carved wooden walls to close it in from the onlookers. To get the idea of this, visit Saint Justache. High above each chapel are the family crest of the original owner, and one chapel still has its lovely carved entrance. Once the church took over the chapels, there weren't enough funds to pay for the decoration or to bring it into the style of the rest of the church. That wouldn't be done until over 600 years after they were created. Each and every chapel of Notre Dame was treated as its own little stage with every element working together, just as Violet had described, from the altar to the gate to every painted element and of course the windows. Visit the Chevette chapels at the eastern end of the church to get an idea of his vision. For over eighty years, Notre Dame basked in its colorful glory, weaving the stories of the saints and figures of the church with a beautiful motif that would inspire Art Nouveau and an American named Walt Disney. Then came the 1950s. A familiar story of neglect or poor cleaning led to a few loud voices claiming that the door decor wasn't up to the standards of the great cathedral and it needed to be removed. Moisture, humidity, candle, soot, and dirt, a problem churches still fight today, can have lasting effects that are hard to recover from. The fight was led by Pierre Marie Ouzas, the inspector general of historic monuments, who claimed the work was unworthy. The first victim was the wall of the northern nave just before the first chapel. A beautiful statue of the Virgin and Child that now greets you at the entrance was once against the wall that was painted a light yellow, blue, and brown motif with stylized flirtales, lilies, and reliquaries. Uzas felt it took away from the statue when in fact Violet Le Duc painted it to enhance the statue. In 1951, it was the first work to be erased. Prior to the fire, there was a large gift shop that was set up to the visitors leaving the cathedral. When the wall was stripped, there must have been some heavy furniture in the way, but they couldn't or didn't want to remove. Lucky for us, it has left a few reminders of what once was. The lower part painted with black and brown squares remains and was found and restored after the fire. Bolstered by the success of their destruction, the chapels of the nave were next. One thing the Villet Le Duc did during his restoration was remove all of the Lemay's paintings that had remained in the church. Created in the mid-17th century, the Goldsmith Guild of Paris donated a large painting each year on May 1st for over 70 years. At one time, all 76 hung in the church in the nave. In the 1950s, Uzas wanted to reunite many with the cathedral for which they were created and would clash with the 19th century painted walls. The chapels of the nave were covered from the roof to the floor with decorative paint, something that wouldn't work with the reimagined chapels of Uzas. A unanimous verdict by the historical group was that the artistic work, especially religious during the Second Empire, was considered uninteresting and without creative genius. There's always a political and self-serving angle that weaves its way in. So between 1959 and 1963, the 14 chapels of the nave are whitewashed of any color or decor. Entire chapels stripped down to the stone, including the altars. Today in the second chapel of the North Nave and the fourth, there's a little reminder of what once was. Today's chapel of Abraham, once Saint Charles, holds a bit of the green and burgundy harlequin pattern behind the statue of Saint Francis Xavier baptizing. In the fourth chapel of Isaiah, below a statue of Saint Landry, Bishop of Paris, who founded the Hotel d'Eux, forest green quote unquote stones outlined in cream in what once was the chapel of Saint Vincent DuPa. I have photos on my website along with the original design from a fantastic book by Violet Le Duc and Maurice Audreau featuring each of the chapel's design and ornaments. I have a link to the original online version from 1870 so you could see it yourself. Although the systematic destruction and vandalism occurred in the 1950s and 60s, there is very little photographic evidence that remains of what these chapels look like. Much like Chanel and their founders' ties to Nazism, Notre Dame seems to want to also hide this period. I have many books about the history of Notre Dame, and only a few even mention this episode, neither the original paintings nor the destruction. A few black and white images can be found that I'll have on my website, Claudine Hemingway.com. All of this brings us to the new controversy, but the past is also an important factor. Notre Dame was designated a historic monument on december 31, 1862, during Villet Leduc's work, a classification that protects all of the elements of the structure, including the art and decoration, whether it's in its original 12th to 13th century or created prior to the distinction. This also oversees how restoration is handled and how it must be overseen by the national architect and the respect taken to its heritage above all others. This, along with another incredibly important distinction, should protect the cathedral. On May 31, 1964, the Venice Charter was adopted by conservators and outlined the rules governing historic monuments and buildings. The 13 resolution outlines the protection, but also applies not only to the great works of art, but also to the modest work of the past, which have been acquired cultural significance with passing of time, as Article I states. The Venice Charter is one of the most important documents in the art world. It has been adopted as a rule not only for historic buildings, but also for the restoration of paintings and sculptures. Listen to episode thirteen about Venus de Milo and twenty about Delacroise Constantinople to know more. Two of the standouts hits of the charter that apply heavily to the conversation today. Article eight is the items of sculpture, painting, or decoration which forms as an integral part of a monument may only be removed from it if this is the sole means of ensuring their preservation. Article 11, the valid contribution of all periods of the building of a monument must be respected, since unity of style is not the aim of restoration. When a building includes the superimposed work of different periods, the revealing of the underlying state can only be justified in the exceptional circumstances and when what is removed is of little interest, and the material which is brought to light is of great historical, archaeological, or aesthetic value, and its state of preservation is good enough to justify the action. Evaluation of the importance of the element involved and the decision on what may be destroyed cannot rest solely with the individual in charge of the work. I have a link also on my website I'm going to put there so you could read the Venice Charter on your own. The PDF goes to the English version, but if you follow it back to the link, it's available in like 60 different languages. Since Notre Dame reopened in December 2024, the attacks on the chapels have continued. Before the fire, chapels were filled with numerous paintings, statues, candlesticks, reliquaries, and crucifix. Today they are empty of any character, and there is nothing that ties them to the names given for the reopening. The idea of replacing the windows in the southern nave in Notre Dame was first discussed in 2021 after the fire. Michel Opetit, who was archbishop at the time of the fire, placed the priest Gilles Juin in charge of the redesign of the cathedral's interior. In a YouTube video I found recorded March 22nd, 2022, Juin talks about the chapels that had very little use, quote unquote, dead space and giving them more life. They are far from that now. It was also at this time that the idea of the new contemporary windows for the South Nave was first brought up by Juin. When this idea reached the then Minister of Culture, Rosalind Bachelot, she said no and based her decision on the Venice Charter, as one should. On April 23rd, 2023, General Georges Alin and President Macron visited the Notre Dame Works site along with the Bishop Ulrich. Macron brought up his wish for the new stained glass windows and said to Ulrich, it must come from you or it will never happen. On December 4th, 2023, four days before Macron visited the site again, Ulrich sent a letter regarding the windows. Four days later, Macron announced his interest in replacing the windows. Exactly one year before the reopening, on December eighth, twenty twenty three, Macron first spoke of the desire to quote unquote mark the twenty first century. It was first said that the windows would also mark the five years since the fire, hoping it would be something like what you see in Notre Dame de Rance. Maybe that was just my idea. At the same time, Macron announced their intent to replace the windows. He also expressed his wish to have a museum dedicated to Notre Dame opened at the Hotel Dieu, just outside the cathedral's doors. The removed Violet Le Duc windows would be placed there. More on that in a minute. Shortly thereafter, on March 11, 2024, the Minister of Culture now under Rashida Dati, named Bernard Blistin, former director of the Centre Pompidou, in charge of the international competition for the artists to create the new windows. It was swiftly brought to the floor of the National Assembly on December 19, 2023, by Caroline Colombier after Macron's announcement. On May 21, 2024, they concluded that the replacements of the governing body was accepted. On July 11, 2024, the National Heritage and Architectural Commission unanimously issued a negative opinion, a very rare occurrence. On December 18, 2024, President Macron announced the selection of French artist Claire Tabouret to create a set of six new windows. Born in 1981 in the south of France, she attended the Ecole de Beaux-Arts in Paris for a year, then the Union School of Arts in New York. She now lives in Los Angeles. On that date, we saw our first glimpse of what the windows would look like. The chapels of the South Nave were renamed before the 2024 opening, representing the Pentecost, the visitors to walk out of the cathedral in the light. Although the chapels take their names of saints or figures tied to Paris, well kind of. There's Saint Joseph, Saint Thomas de Caen, Saint Clotil, Saint Vincent de Paul, my girl Saint Jean Viev, and the fellow patron saint in Paris, Saint Denis, and ending with one that not many people know, Saint Paul Chen. A wonderful story of an amazing man that lived in the 19th century, but one that never came to Paris until his remains were transferred here in 1908 after he was beatified. This past winter, the artist's final design was put on display at the Grand Palais. The full size painted version on paper of each window, along with the behind the scenes look at how they were created, hung on a white wall. The windows are reimagined, including the top of the windows to pay homage to Violet Le Duc and the glass designer Alfred Garante. I visited the exhibit the day it opened on December 10th, and of course I went in with the idea of hating everything about their existence. On their own, they are lovely. They are bright and they are colorful, and the talent of the artist shines through. That being said, I still disagree with the entire idea of replacing these windows, if you haven't figured that out yet. The Archbishop of Paris chose a theme of the Pentecost, and specific texts from the Book of Acts were given to the artist. The Chapel of Saint Joseph is all gathered together in one place, and the apostles stand in the circle in front of the historic windows that are being removed. In the Chapel of Saint Clotilde, suddenly a sound comes from the heaven. The windows are a rush of turbulent waters while calm in the lower section. In the Chapel of Saint Vincent de Paul, like a violent gust of wind represented by a tree bending in the wind against a bright orange background. In the Chapel of Saint Jean-Vieve, the tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them. At first I was excited because I thought she depicted Saint Jean Vieve, as that would make more sense. But it is actually the Virgin Mary dressed in her signature blue. She's depicted with long loose hair, often more associated with Mary Magdalene. In the chapel of Saint Denis, those who heard had their hearts pierced. The Holy Spirit now appears as a dove above the design of the former windows. Mary in blue stands and looks up as the apostles are on their knees below. In the last chapel of St. Paul Chen, they spoke according to the gift of the Spirit. A long procession made up of people winds its way through the windows and into the future. I've added a link to the exhibit information on my website. It's in French, but you could open it up and, you know, maybe shoot it with your Google Translate from your phone. The fight against the windows sped up at the start of the year. Didier Rikner of Le Tribune de la leading the fight, creating a petition on December 12, 2003, and as of today has more than 352,000 signatures. You two could sign it, and I'll put the link on my website. Notre Dame gave their approval on February 24, 2026, an email sent that day from the rector. They have no standing on anything outside of what is involved and affects the worship, but I guess they think that's gonna help. On April 17, 2026, the regional prefecture authorized the public establishment to remove the Violet Le Duc windows. May 5th, 2026, two heritage defense associations brought a case before the Paris Administrative Court to halt the project as a matter of urgency. They had to show that the urgency of the situation, the legality, and a raise double of the legality of the project. At 3 p.m. on May 12, 2026, Didier Ricnard and Paul Lacaz of Seats et Monument and SOS Paris had their day in the Paris Administrative Court, pleading that the replacement of the windows must be stopped. One week later, on May 19th, the Administrative Court rejected the suspension of work by the sites and monuments in SOS Paris. The judge didn't see the urgency since the structure itself will not be altered and the windows can be removed. The lawyers for the project argued that 121 square meters out of 2,050 square meters, which is 6% of the 19th century window and 5% of the overall windows are what is at stake here. When a high percentage of those windows are high above and out of view of the visitors, I think it's a weak argument. Not all hope is lost, and the side of the historic interests remain optimistic that they could prevail, even if it's long after the windows are replaced. On May 22nd, it was announced that the windows will now be displayed at the Chateau de Perfond and the Architectural Museum at the Trocadero. The Chateau de Perfonds was renovated by Violet Le Duc under Napoleon III from 1857 to 1879. Four of the windows are said to be installed there with an explanation of their creation. The other two at the Trocadero were the remains of copies of historic cathedrals and chateaus makes sense. In May of 2026, the chapels of the South began to show signs of work. Paintings were covered and then protected in a metal cage, statues covered, and the wood carved walls of the chapel of San Vincent de Paul were hidden behind plywood. I don't really know why they spent that much money to cover it when it would actually just be easier to take the paintings down. I have pictures, quite a few pictures of that. So make sure to check my Instagram and my website. Removal work would begin on June 22nd, and installation of the new glass will not begin until October and be completed by the second anniversary in December. The new windows design and painted by Toberay will be created by the Atelier Saint-Marc, the oldest atelier of stained glass, which opened in 1640, will take on the project this summer. The new stained glass windows will be placed into the existing framework and the exact dimensions of Violet Le Duc's windows will be used. So the judge deems there's no emergency to stop the project, which also leaves this open. Once the windows are in place within the state-owned cathedral, they become a public work, which also makes them more difficult to change or remove. And the cost of all of this, you might ask, at least 4 million euros paid by the state. This is not the first time the stained glass windows in Notre Dame have sparked controversy. In many ways, the two cases are very familiar, but the earlier one is never mentioned in the press or in Notre Dame history. In 2020, a remarkable discovery was made in the gallery above Notre Dame. Long lost stained glass panels dating to 1935. These fragments were sent to the manufacturer Vincent Betty for analysis, reigniting interest in a lesser-known chapter of the cathedral's history. In the 1930s, stained glass artist Louis Baillet was tasked with selecting artists for Notre Dame's new stained glass windows. However, the project faced resistance. The 19th century Violet Le Duc windows were criticized for being too pale and not aligning with the cathedral's gothic aesthetic. Despite these challenges, twelve artists looked at the project, funding much of it themselves in hope of leaving a lasting mark on one of the most iconic landmarks. The artistic exhibition of their designs at the Pontifical Pavilion in 1937 to gather support. Yet the Commission for Historical Monuments rejected them, citing inconsistencies in design, proportion, and color. World War II would further derail this project, leaving much of the work incomplete. While plans were initially made to replace Villet le Duc's windows to Notre Dame, including updates to the 13th century Rose window, fragments of these windows remain today. Of the original 12 windows, only a few pieces of one of the small rose windows and an almost complete bay survive. Notably, Jacques Le Chevalier's design were among the few that were retained and reinstalled in 1965. Not everyone agreed to replace the Villet the Duke windows. Gabrielle Robert, the Grand Inspector of Historical Monuments, believed they were in fine condition and did not require replacements. Similarly, the vice president of the Le Chevard de l'Art Francais opposed the removal of these unique art pieces. Again, this is also remembered before the Venice Charter. Following the devastating 2019 fire, all stained glass windows were found intact, aside from minor heat damage to the small rose window at the high gable. Restoration efforts began focusing on cleaning, analyzing, and refiring the glass using modern techniques. Of the 12 original artists, only works by Le Chevalier and Herbert Stevens were shown and exist today. The Chevalier family returned one of the windows to Notre Dame in 2013 to commemorate the cathedral's 850th anniversary, later donating it to the stained glass museum in Trois. Additionally, creates of never fired glass panels were discovered post-fire, offering a glimpse into this artist's incomplete vision. I have photos and a video I made of the exhibition of these windows at the stained glass museum in Trois that I went to in the summer of 2025 and have links on my website. If you get the chance to go down there, if you love stained glass, this is the place for you to go. This small medieval town of Trois that's in the Champaign region has a more than a third of the stained glass of France could be found in this town, and the churches are just incredible. As for the museum dedicated in Notre Dame, I mentioned earlier, on the same day in December 2023, when Macron announced his wish for the new windows, he also mentioned the creation of the museum dedicated to Notre Dame. A fantastic idea, in my opinion. There are thousands of items not on display within the cathedral and scattered across museums in France, not to mention all the items they removed and never returned after the restoration. Just across the Parvis of the Hotel d'U, the oldest hospital in Europe, which covers a massive city block all the way to the Seine, only a fraction is actually used and it's only used for emergencies. However, the project did not make it very far. The Paris City Council didn't even tee up the project as it would have to go through a lengthy process of changing the local urban planning scheme. There has been little to no word since March of 2025. The work was to begin this year with completion opening in 2028. They haven't even opened the competition for an architect. This project will most likely never happen. Maybe they should use that 4 million euros that the windows are costing for this to start the project. Notre Dame has a difficult line to follow. It is once again the most visited monument in France. Following the fire, the crowds have returned in record numbers. However, Notre Dame is still a cathedral and it's a religious structure. It is also a state-owned structure, but the interior is run by the church. These days, I think they are leaning further towards tourism with a heavy dash of self-interest than they are as a cathedral. I love Notre Dame, and I have been obsessed with the history and architecture of this beautiful cathedral long before I ever set foot inside. I just hope that the history can survive a few more generations before it is completely erased. In France, the country's history and heritage are among its greatest gifts. Every year, hundreds of French people line up for a glimpse inside the many buildings only open one week in a year. This is why the systematic destruction is so surprising, all wrapped up into a few people's ego and self-interest that will destroy something meant to be seen by future generations. We really hope that doesn't happen, and I hope that they can actually stop this project or reverse it later and return the windows of Ville Leduc. But after everything I've told you, and when you know that he actually designed all of the chapels to work together, every one of those stained glass windows is different. They have the same structural properties as far as the Grizel work, which means it's the stained glass, it's you know in kind of a gray. There's also, you know, you have the cool tones on the north side, the warm tones on the south side, which are a lot more reds and yellows and oranges, but and it's very you could see the difference when you walk by. The windows aren't overpowering, but if you know, especially after I told you the way that he describes it by if the light coming through hits this blue and it's going onto the window and it or onto the wall and it's uh lilac, it's just it all work together. And in one way, none of absolutely none of that remains. And so the argument of I guess of saying that these need to stay is a hard one, but also nobody knows of why exactly what these actually used to look like, which is crazy. I was shocked that I could only find four or five and they're black and white, and they're from a a distance of what some of these chapels look like. So everything that Violet Le Duc did, one after another, they're getting removed. The other bishop Lucier, he actually also removed quite a few things instead, including the choir gate, the altar that Violet Le Duc created. He had a lot of other things removed, and it's in a way, of course, you know, these people want to leave their little mark on there, but I just don't think they should be doing it in a way that's erasing the history. The artist Tore, she said that, you know, this is a living monument. Why should it be, you know, stuck in the past? Something to that general feeling. But, you know, I of course it's of course she's gonna say that. She's the artist creating new windows. But, you know, they changed so much already. The what they just uh the the chapels now, the knave chapels are just these sterile white boxes with with tapestries on the north side that are being loaned until new ones are made. Luckily the paintings return and all the the 13 lemaes that were there before the fire returned, and that's about the only thing. But it it's it's just kind of sad when you go into a church like Saint-Cis, one of my very I think my very favorite church, and you see the chapels, it's the Saint Denis chapel, and this and the walls are the story of Saint Denis, and it all works together. There is none of that in Notre Dame, as far as the knave chapels, and it's even kind of up in the air in the back of the Chevette. Some the some of the walls are are equate to they've kept some of the names, like the you know, the Mary Magdalene chapel, but they've also added na other names to each one of these. So it is, you know, I love it, and I just hope that they remain and respect the history of that church that's over 850 years old. And there was a lot of people that came before me. And it is surprising, you know, if this was in the United States, this would be, of course, yes, of course, they're erasing everything and putting up their own ego. But this is France, and they kind of usually don't do that, and they really respect the history. So I will keep you updated and I'm gonna go there that week and see. You can't, there's tarps, I'll put pictures. I was in there the other morning. I took some video there. You can't see anything, but I did see the workers coming in after mass to start working and they're making a bunch of noise in there, but the windows are supposedly not supposed to come out till June 22nd, so we shall see. We probably won't be able to see anything, but maybe I'll go there and protest it. Probably not, but I will go there and make, you know, I'll give them some evil faces. Anyway, make sure there's so much stuff. I'm gonna also put a link to the petition you can sign on my website and lots of other links and photos to go along with this so you could check it out yourself. And definitely if there's something you want to know more about, and I'll go into some of the other stuff at Notre Dame, and then in a way, you could uh, you know, you could take some of those with you and visit the cathedral itself with a much deeper look at the history. But definitely check out the pictures and check out the link. Um, I should, I think most people could see it of the pictures of the book. I found this book years and years ago with all of the designs of either chapel. When I was in there the other day, I was holding it up and taking pictures. You'll see the pictures, and I had a handful of people kept coming up to me asking me what it was, and then I was telling them about what happened and they didn't know about the about this controversy. But you know, I'll make sure people know. Anyway, thank you so much for joining me. I think this was a long one, but uh to think of how much longer it would have been if I put everything in there that I wanted to. So I will see you all next week. And hopefully I know what we're doing. I'm already gonna start I've already kind of started it, but as long as I don't get waylaid into another idea, I'll see you next Tuesday with a story about the oldest bridge in Paris and what is happening right now.