Ghastly new liturgical furnishings at Notre-Dame in Paris

Bronze and oak: discover the future furniture of Notre-Dame de Paris

The cost of the new furnishings has been estimated at €6 million, financed by the Fondation Notre-Dame.

Their mobile rang, displaying an unknown telephone number. On the other end was the voice of Monsignor Ulrich, the Archbishop of Paris, announcing that they had been selected to design the future furniture for Notre Dame. I can still hardly believe it", said designer Guillaume Bardet on Friday morning, while Ionna Vautrin spoke of a "great honour".

This consecration comes nine months after the launch of a consultation to choose an artist for the five pieces of liturgical furniture (the ambo, cathedra, altar, tabernacle and baptistery) and a second artist for the seats. While the latter disappeared in the blaze, the furniture, including the Jean Touret altar emblematic of the Lustiger era, had survived. However, it was decided to launch a commission to bring the cathedral's restoration into the 21st century. "Since it was built, artists have always been present. Today's artists carry with them the suffering of a cathedral that has burnt down and the hope of its rebirth", emphasises Bishop Ulrich, who took two days to reflect before announcing the names of the two prize-winners.

Guillaume Bardet's proposal for bronze furniture is, beneath its apparent classicism, more daring than it appears. Both powerful and refined, it brings bronze into majesty in a building of stone and stained glass. All the competitors for the prize had also imagined an altar in the majority stone, to recall the blonde stone of the cathedral. Guillaume Bardet drew on the expertise of the Barthélemy Art foundry in Crest (Drôme), with which he works regularly. One of the projects that came out of the foundry was his design for the Tourette convent. "The forty employees at the foundry can't believe they're at the heart of this incredible adventure," says the designer.

Just like those at Bosc, the Landes-based manufacturer who will be working on the 1,500 chairs designed by Ionna Vautrin. Made from solid oak with a low, openwork backrest, the chairs can be hung together. Their arched backs echo the columns of the building. Weighing in at just six kilos, they are a radical departure from traditional chairs.

The same goes for Bosc, a manufacturer based in the Landes region of France, who will be working on the 1,500 chairs designed by Ionna Vautrin. Made from solid oak with a low, openwork backrest, the chairs can be hung together. Their arched backs echo the columns of the building. Weighing in at just six kilos, they are a radical departure from the traditional wooden and straw chairs found in churches. Tried by all the members of the artistic commission, they were found to be comfortable. What's more, their simplicity - which will come as a surprise to some - was an asset: the Archbishop of Paris had indicated that he wanted discreet chairs or benches, in order to give "primacy" to the cathedral's liturgical furniture and architecture.

It will be recalled that in 2021, an initial interior design project called for connected pews with a light on the back. In the face of an outcry, the project was abandoned and an artistic committee set up. This committee has clearly learnt the lessons of the past, and auditioned all seven candidates, including two for the seating, on three occasions. No one was there to knock us down," says Ionna Vautrin, "we were up against a sympathetic jury. "Since January, I've been entirely focused on Notre-Dame. I made several successive models," says Guillaume Bardet.

A reliquary for the Crown of Thorns

Unworthy of one of the greatest relics in the Catholic world.

He wasn't the only one to let himself get caught up in the project, so much so that participating in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame is a Holy Grail. You can imagine the disappointment of the unsuccessful finalists, Laurent Grasso, Constance Guisset, Pascal Convert, Nicolas Alquin, Marc Alechinsky and Patrick Jouin, who had had to adapt to draconian specifications and had worked tirelessly.

Two other key figures, scenographer Nathalie Crinière and architect-designer Sylvain Dubuisson, are also working on the project, without having gone through the committee's wringer. The former is working on the two chapels where the confessionals will be located, as well as the future signage. The second, who had already designed a tabernacle and chapel for Notre-Dame in 2004, has been working on an imposing reliquary for the Holy Crown of Christ. Unveiled on Friday, the reliquary, made of a halo of gold cabochons set in the centre of a wooden rack, will be placed in the axial chapel behind Marc Couturier's Cross and Glory, created in 1995. The total cost of the new facilities has been estimated at €6 million, financed by the Fondation Notre-Dame.

On 13 July, the National Commission for Architecture and Heritage will give its final approval to Monsignor Ulrich's choices. After that, the diocese plans to showcase the various projects so that everyone can make up their own minds, before the cathedral reopens on 8 December 2024.

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