Emmanuel Macron accused of 'cultural vandalism' over plot to permanently change Notre Dame Cathedral

Peter Stevens
Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:03:25 +0000

Emmanuel Macron has been accused of "cultural vandalism" over a plan to replace Notre Dame's stained-glass windows with modern art.

Campaigners have gathered over 340,000 signatories in a petition to block the new windows, created by French artist Claire Tabouret, who has recently returned to France after living in Los Angeles.

The artist's modern depictions of Pentecost scenes will replace existing windows designed by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in six of the seven chapels on the south aisle of the nave.

Opponents have said the removal of the undamaged windows, added in a mid-19th century restoration, was breaching an international convention to preserve historic heritage.

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After Notre Dame was nearly destroyed in a blaze in 2019, Mr Macron hoped to "leave a mark of the 21st century" in its reconstruction.

Opponents of the redesign have filed a legal challenge to annul the building permit issued by the Paris prefecture which authorised the immediate removal of the current geometric, mainly monochrome, floral patterned windows.

Julien Lacaze, head of Sites and Monuments, said: "Every artistic or historical element of a listed monument must be preserved.

"Viollet-le-Duc was not merely a restorer of the cathedral but a creator. His work is listed and holds significant heritage interest."

The 1964 Venice Charter states preservation must "preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historic value of the monument and is based on respect for original material".

Ms Tabouret has admitted she was not brought up with religion, but said she came "from a place of love and respect and interest for the Catholic church" as she designed the six new windows.

Viollet-le-Duc's windows are planned to be displayed in a museum in Paris, but critics of the project have said they must be displayed in Notre Dame.

In their petition, they describe the decision to display the old windows in a museum as "absurd", as they are an "integral part of the architecture".

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"They would have no meaning outside the architecture, and would take up a very large space in the rooms of the Hôtel Dieu, preventing other works from being displayed there, without any benefit to the public," the petition added.

Didier Rykner, who runs the Tribune de l’Art website, has said even if new windows were installed critics would continue to fight until "we get back to Viollet-le-Duc’s original".

The French Government has overruled opposition to new windows from a committee of the Culture Ministry and also from the influential Academie des Beaux-Arts.

Supporters of the contemporary project have said the 19th-century windows were not part of the building's original plans and pointed to other contemporary art additions, including 1966 additions by Jacques le Chevallier.

Ms Tabouret, 44, told The Guardian in February she was not taking critic's complaints personally, saying there were going to be people who "hate the project, no matter what".

She added: "They didn’t even really look at the designs. They go on their computers to spread hate, but you can see from the messages they write that they don’t really know what it’s about. And I’m also receiving a lot of love, which is very nice."

Full size models of her 6-metre windows, were largely well received as they went on display in Paris' Grand Palais.

Atelier Simon-Marq will manufacture the windows, a stained glass studio founded in 1640 in Reims, France.