Notre-Dame de Paris and the Spiritual Rooms for Our Souls By Emina Melonic for American Greatness
Are we breathing life into the exterior and interior spaces of our world, or are we mindlessly passing through the burdensome mediocrity of our alienating times?
When the great Catholic cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris, caught fire on April 15, 2019, it was a sight that elicited astounding silence. People stood watching helplessly as the roof and the spire burned. The cathedral is not just a religious and sacred symbol but also one of Paris, attracting tourists from around the world.
The renovation of Notre-Dame has commenced and there are serious problems with how the reconstruction will proceed. France’s National Heritage and Architecture Commission has approved the latest proposals for restoration, but it appears these are not exactly historically appropriate approaches. These include changing the direction of the “tabernacle and other items to create more room for visitors,” “installation of contemporary artworks,” and possibly “light projections on the walls of some chapels that would display short text excerpts from the Bible” all in an effort to “allow for an easier and more pleasant visit to the religious monument and a create a dialogue between Notre-Dame’s medieval architecture and new, more modern features.”
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If you think that these proposals are coming from a bunch of woke atheists, think again. These ideas originate in the Catholic archdiocese of Paris, and come directly from the rector of Notre-Dame, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet. It is representative of the sad state of affairs within the Catholic Church as her shepherds exhibit a kind of theological and aesthetic confusion. The criticism of the approved changes is not without merit, but is this just a question of incredibly tacky and kitschy choices devoid of architectural and artistic knowledge, or is there something far more morally corrupt at play here?
Notre-Dame de Paris has had a long history of desecration. Construction began in 1163 and was mostly complete by 1260, yet the cathedral has gone through many changes. Some have been quite serious, others appear to be exercises in aesthetic and cultural ignorance.
In 1793, the cathedral went through a major desecration when it was changed to the “Cult of Reason,” and later to the “Cult of the Supreme Being.” Most of the sculptures and artwork were either relocated or destroyed, and for some time, the “Goddess of Liberty” was put in place of the Virgin Mary.
