Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the world’s most iconic and exceptional sites, and one that has inspired and fascinated people for centuries. But why exactly? This presentation will try to address this question by exploring the Cathedral’s historical, architectural, spiritual, and cultural layers of meaning.

First, Notre Dame must be seen in the context of the appeal of the city in which it is situated; Paris, the City of Lights. Second, the site of the cathedral: on an island, at the junction of two branches of the river, facing east, a topography dedicated for millennia to the encounter of man with the divine, a sacred place. Third, its age; some of the sacred installations inside the cathedral date from the fourth century, with the structure itself dating from the twelfth century. Notre Dame serves as a venue to both the everyday ritual practice of the Christian faith, as well as large celebrations marking major holidays, and extraordinary historical encounters between religion, the State, and the nation.

Finally, the architectural memory of Notre Dame will be considered; from the Gothic masterpiece of the cathedral itself to to its interior furnishings, including the Baroque decor of the choir and the major restorations of the mid-nineteenth century. Added to this, is the memory of liturgical, political, literary, and aesthetic events which have taken place at Notre Dame, such as the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte, Victor Hugo’s eponymous novel ,set in the cathedral, and the conversion of Poet-Ambassador Paul Claudel.

The spectacular and dramatic fire of September 2019 underlined the great mystical power of the Cathedral. The suffering of Notre Dame only served to heighten its importance as one of the greatest of humanity’s monuments. Its subsequent restoration project provoked many emotions, and contentious debates. Following in the spirit of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s legacy, the latest restoration of Notre Dame now represents a major new chapter in its history, and that of cultural heritage practice.

Speaker Biography

Jean-Michel Leniaud

Professor Jean-Michel Leniaud is one of France's leading historians of art and architecture. He has combined a career in scholarship, research, and administration, with one in the conservation, curation, and restoration of cultural heritage.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Monuments Center (Centre des Monuments Nationaux), a body run by the French Ministry of Culture responsible for the conservation, restoration, and management of some 85 major historic sites and buildings owned by the French State, including Notre-Dame Cathedral (Notre-Dame de Paris). President of the Society of Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, Professor Leniaud sits on the scientific council of the public institution for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, established by President Macron in the wake of the devastating fire of 2019.

Professor Leniaud is now Emeritus Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, a grand établissement of higher education noted for its pedagogy of research training through practice, and a part of the University of Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), and Professor of Architectural History at the École du Louvre, a grande école situated within the museum, and which specialises in the study of archaeology, art history, and anthropology.

Previously he was Professor of Contemporary Art History at the École Nationale des Chartes (ENC) from 1992 to 2016, and its director from 2011 to 2016. The ENC, founded more than 200 years ago, is a grand établissement dedicated to historical research and the training of historians and curators, and is now also part of the PSL University.

Professor Leniaud's career began in the administration of historic monuments at the Ministry of Culture, and from 1977 to 1990, he served as Inspector of Historic Monuments and Regional Curator (Rhône-Alpes), and subsequently held various positions at the national level in the administration of monuments. From 2011 to 2022, he chaired the Scientific Council of the French National Institute of Cultural Heritage (Institut National du Patrimoine), the academy responsible for training curators and conservators.

He has been the chief curator of several major exhibitions, including ‘Viollet-le-Duc: Visions of an Architect’, held at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine museum in Paris from 2014 to 2015. ‘Viollet-le-Duc’ was an enormously influential architect and visionary, and was responsible for the restoration of medieval monuments, including Notre-Dame de Paris.

Professor Leniaud is the author of numerous books and articles on the history of art, architecture, and heritage. Most recently, he directed a publication on the history of the cathedral; Les Résurrections de Notre-Dame - Chantiers et ferveurs was published by Mengès in 2024.

About the Presenter(s)
-Professor Jean-Michel Leniaud is one of France's leading historians of art and architecture.

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