Manifesto Urges Long-Term Restoration for Notre-Dame

In a manifesto published in artpress' summer issue, architect Patrick Bouchain and architecture critic Christophe Catsaros argue against the rushed reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. They criticize the government's five-year timeline, announced by President Emmanuel Macron, as a political expediency that prioritizes speed over meaningful societal engagement. The authors contend that the disaster opened a symbolic breach, revealing the cathedral's role as a collective body, and that closing it hastily would reduce the monument to a mere icon. They propose a slower, participatory restoration process that would include a 'Grenelle du patrimoine' and the creation of a school for stone and wood crafts, possibly housed in the vacated Tribunal de grande instance de Paris. Drawing inspiration from Japan's Ise Shrine, they advocate for a focus on transmitting constructive knowledge rather than preserving original materials. They also suggest linking Notre-Dame's restoration with that of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, creating an axis that could reshape urban planning within the Grand Paris project. The manifesto calls for a restoration that makes sense for society, not just a replica of the past.