The Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris: A Jewel of European Cultural Heritage
On the occasion of the reopening of the renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the French Institute in Serbia and the Embassy of the French Republic have prepared a series of events from December 9th until February 2025 to highlight the significance of this masterpiece of European cultural heritage.
The program includes exhibitions, virtual tours, lectures, and multimedia content dedicated to this gem of European cultural heritage and its reconstruction after the fire.
In April 2019, the image of Notre-Dame engulfed in flames shocked the world as dramatic images spread globally. More than just a religious building and an architectural jewel, the Parisian cathedral is a symbol of French culture and collective consciousness. A site of historical events, such as Napoleon’s coronation, and a symbol of the preservation of cultural heritage, the cathedral is much more than a historical monument. As a gathering place and institution where, for centuries, the most vulnerable members of society were protected, Notre-Dame has inspired and continues to inspire artists, philosophers, architects, historians, and statesmen…
After the fire that destroyed part of the structure, the bell tower, and the roof, the world showed solidarity in a way that mirrored the values represented by the cathedral itself. The Republic of Serbia reaffirmed its historical friendship with France by allocating significant funds for the cathedral’s reconstruction.
On Monday, December 9th at 7:00 PM, the exhibition “How Builders and Craftsmen Restored Notre-Dame” will open at the French Institute Gallery (Knez Mihailova 31).
Photographs and infographics displayed at the French Institute in Serbia will tell the fascinating story of Notre-Dame’s reconstruction, from the moment of the fire to the incredible construction site that emerged thanks to the support of donors from around the world. The restoration project is being led by the public institution “Notre-Dame Restoration in Paris” with the involvement of renowned architects specialized in historical monuments, cultural heritage, and architecture. The exhibition will run until January 31st.
From December 9th to 30th, an artistic light installation by Aleksandra Stratimirović, paying homage to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, will be displayed in the French Institute windows.
As part of the International Digital November Festival, the French Institute will also present a selection of immersive works about Notre-Dame under the title “Parisian Notre-Dame in Virtual Reality”. This program will be available to the public from December 9th to 16th.
The immersive works include a series of VR pieces, among which “Eternal Notre-Dame” stands out. This technological challenge will allow the audience to experience the history of the cathedral and its architectural treasures, from the beginning of its construction in the Middle Ages to the current construction site. It is a journey through time and space via virtual reality.
The audience will also have the chance to view the VR work “Reviving Notre-Dame” (directed by Chloé Rochereuil), which presents testimonies from the people who once built and are now reconstructing the cathedral. As part of the program, a video produced by Ubisoft New Business, “Parisian Notre-Dame: A Journey to the Past”, will also be shown. While the cathedral remains closed to the public due to restoration, it can still be visited via virtual reality, through Ubisoft’s project based on the 3D model from the game Assassin’s Creed Unity.
The audience will also have the chance to view the VR work “Reviving Notre-Dame” (directed by Chloé Rochereuil), which presents testimonies from the people who once built and are now reconstructing the cathedral. As part of the program, a video produced by Ubisoft New Business, “Parisian Notre-Dame: A Journey to the Past”, will also be shown. While the cathedral remains closed to the public due to restoration, it can still be visited via virtual reality, through Ubisoft’s project based on the 3D model from the game Assassin’s Creed Unity.
This tour allows for the (re)discovery of the cathedral from various perspectives, some of which are inaccessible to the general public. The journey culminates in a spectacular hot-air balloon ride over the arches of Paris at the end of the 18th century. In a space of 4 to 9 m², visitors, wearing VR headsets, are invited to look around, raise their heads, and move to better appreciate the perspectives, all accompanied by Bach’s Fantasy in G Minor performed on the famous cathedral organ.
Another exclusive work, Jean-Michel Jarre’s virtual concert “Welcome to the Other Side”, will also be part of this exhibition.
Jean-Michel Jarre began 2021 with a unique concert in virtual reality, held in Notre-Dame Cathedral. The show, which combined virtual reality concert footage with live studio performance, introduced a new multimedia approach and became the first of its kind. It attracted over 75 million viewers worldwide, allowing Jarre to claim the number one spot on Pollstar’s list of live broadcasts, ranking among the top 10 most-watched concerts.
Marivon de Saint-Piljan, a high-ranking French official, essayist, and musicologist, who was the director of the Heritage Department at the French Ministry of Culture and the author of two books on Notre-Dame Cathedral, will visit Serbia to mark the ceremonial opening of the renovated cathedral. She will deliver two lectures: “Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris: The Foundation of French Cultural Heritage Policy” in Belgrade on Thursday, December 12th at 6:00 PM at the European House (Zmaj Jovina 8) and “Notre-Dame and Art (Painting and Music)” in Novi Sad on Friday, December 13th at 6:00 PM at the Gallery of the Serbian Matica.
Mathieu Lours, a French architectural historian, organist, expert in sacred architecture and French modern architecture, and member of the French National Heritage and Architecture Commission, will speak about Notre-Dame and other significant Christian cathedrals through a comparative analysis. He will hold a lecture titled “The Architecture of National Cathedrals – A Comparative Analysis” (Notre-Dame in Paris, Saint Sava in Belgrade) on Monday, January 27th at the European House.
On Sunday, January 26th, an organ concert will be held at the Catholic Church on Vračar (time to be announced).
Jean-François Colosimo, a French Orthodox theologian, historian, publisher, essayist, and director of the publishing house Cerf (which publishes books on theology, philosophy, and the history of religions), will visit Serbia and participate in theological discussions about Paris and multi-religiosity. He will deliver a lecture titled “Paris, Theological Center of the 20th Century: Multi-religiosity” on Thursday, February 13th at 7:00 PM.
At the beginning of February (date to be announced), a program titled “Notre-Dame in Film” will take place at the Yugoslav Film Archive (Uzun Mirkova 1), featuring a special screening of films and reports on Notre-Dame from the archives of the Yugoslav Film Archive, followed by a screening of the film “Notre-Dame on Fire” by French director Jean-Jacques Annaud. This feature film reconstructs the events that occurred on April 15, 2019, which caused the most tragic moment in the history of the Parisian cathedral. It tells the story of the men and women who risked their lives to save the most important monument of French cultural heritage.
From February 3rd to 28th, 2025, the French Institute Gallery will host the exhibition “Notre-Dame in Comics”. As an important institution in Serbia’s comic scene, the French Institute invites five male and five female comic authors to share their experiences of Paris’s Notre-Dame through original illustrations. This exhibition will offer 10 artistic interpretations of the most significant French cathedral.
More information: https://www.institutfrancais.rs/notr-dam-u-parizu-biser-evropske-kulturne-bastine/
