Notre Dame’s Controversial Redesign Likened To Disneyland Gets Green-Lighted
Image via Shutterstock
A fortnight ago, Father Gilles Drouin, the priest heading Notre Dame’s interior redesign, revealed several new features that would be added to the cathedral as it undergoes a massive rebuild.
Certain critics said that the iconic landmark was being turned into a “politically correct Disneyland,” and were skeptical about it becoming an “experimental showroom” with “emotional spaces” featuring special light and sound effects.
Despite the concerns, France’s National Heritage and Architecture Commission has since approved of the proposed plans. The green-lighted proposal ensures that no major alterations will be done to the cathedral’s original Gothic architecture, though changes to its interior are still going ahead.
One such change will be a major lighting revamp, which will include projectors to illuminate Bible verses onto the walls. According to ARTnews, new paintings will be added to the interior, with modern artworks now being hung next to centuries-old paintings.
Another controversial change will see the confessionals and tabernacle be removed, so that more visitors can fit inside the space. This will allow visitors to enter through the cathedral’s front entrance instead of the side door. France hopes the rebuild will be completed in time for the country’s 2024 Olympics.
While compromises have been made to initial suggestions, most of the public still isn’t too fond of the updates. An open letter penned in conservative local newspaper Le Figaro titled “Notre-Dame de Paris: What the fire spared, the diocese wants to destroy,” was signed by 100 prominent figures in the country.
Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, Notre Dame’s rector, told the New York Times: “Don’t think we’re going to make Disneyland.”
He explained that the changes, which have all been approved by the diocese, are intended to make the cathedral a better fit for the over 12 million visitors that walk through its doors each year.
[via ARTnews, cover image via Shutterstock]
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