Posted on 12/17/2021 7:19:39 PM PST by marshmallow
France’s heritage authorities approved on Thursday controversial plans for the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Members of the National Heritage and Architecture Commission backed the proposals during a closed-door meeting on Dec. 9 amid an outcry over the restoration of the cathedral badly damaged by fire in 2019.
French media quoted the Ministry of Culture as saying that “the experts gave a favorable opinion on the interior refurbishment program.”
The commission expressed two reservations about the plan. The first concerned a proposal to remove saints’ statues in the chapels. The second related to plans to install moveable pews.
AFP reported that the commission asked to view a prototype of the pews, which would replace the current straw chairs.
The vote by a 24-member committee came shortly after more than 100 of France’s leading figures in the arts and academia criticized the proposals.
In an article published jointly by the magazine La Tribune de l’Art and newspaper Le Figaro on Dec. 7, they wrote: “The Archdiocese of Paris wants to take advantage of the restoration work to transform the interior of Notre-Dame into a project that completely distorts the decor and liturgical space.”
“It believes that the destruction caused by the fire is an opportunity to transform the visitor’s perception of the monument, even though the fire was limited to the roof and the spire and did not destroy any of the heritage inside.”
The signatories, who included television presenter Stéphane Bern and philosopher Alain Finkielkraut, added: “The project foresees the installation of removable benches, lighting that changes according to the seasons, video projections on the walls, etc., in other words, the same fashionable (and therefore already terribly outdated) ‘mediation devices’ that can be found in all ‘immersive’ cultural projects, in which silliness often vies with kitsch.”
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
Usually the authorities in Europe that are assigned to the preservation of churches and other institutions are more cautious with any changes than the Catholic clergy is.
One of the reasons that the churches up and down Europe remain incredibly beautiful pieces of architecture is that the civil authorities wouldn't let progressive priests tear down the altar rails, push the Tabernacle off to the side, and hide any signs of tradition like so many of them did here in the US and in Canada.
That very thought occurred to me when they started proposing turning Notre Dame Cathedral into a Woke Monument.
This rewards Muslim terrorism.
Leave room for minarets! They can be added later.
Might be time for another fire.
“Movable” pews, to permit open space for Muslim “prayer”.
So are they going to rebuild it like “Jack’s Wacky Golf” from the forgettable movie Caddyshack 2?
There are few things in the world I want or wanted to see in person. This was one of them. I’m not even Catholic and I was moved. If they restored it back to original as they could I might want to go back someday. Don’t care one bit about ever seeing the proposed “New And Improved” Notre Dame.
Well, most really old Catholic (and Orthodox) churches in Europe don’t have pews, movable or otherwise.
There was even a movement in the “never let a crisis go to waste” vein that propoaed including signs and symbols of a Mosque.Mustlook that up, scared the hell out of when when I read it.
Granted, and very good point. Interesting, though, just the same, to shift from a model that would not lend itself to Muslim “prayer” to one that would.
Glad I saw it already, inside and out. Tragic and disgusting what they are doing, and what they have probably covered-up (the perps).
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If they’re not going to restore it to it’s original form they might as well tear it down.
There was even a movement in the “never let a crisis go to waste” vein that propoaed including signs and symbols of a Mosque.Mustlook that up, scared the hell out of when when I read it.
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