A Paris judge has rejected a request to halt the removal of six 19th-century stained-glass windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from Notre-Dame Cathedral, which are to be replaced by government-commissioned contemporary works, dealing a blow to the preservationist campaign opposing the project.
According to the Paris Administrative Court, the administrative judge reasoned that because the new windows by artist Claire Tabouret and glassmakers Simon-Marq could conceivably be removed in the future, and the original Viollet-le-Duc windows will be carefully preserved, the project does not constitute an irreversible alteration to the Gothic landmark. Consequently, the judge continued, the matter does not meet the requirements for an “urgent” suspension of the controversial project. However, the judge did not rule on whether the endeavor, once vetoed by the National Commission of Patrimony and Architecture, was legal, leaving the path open for potential litigation.
Conceived by French President Emmanuel Macron, the planned modernization of Notre Dame’s windows has sparked intense controversy in France and beyond. Within two days of its announcement in 2024, more than 130,000 people signed a petition supporting the preservation of the 19th-century stained glass installed by architects Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste Lassus, who were commissioned to restore the cathedral in 1844. The towering original windows, whose winding geometric patterns evoke natural forms, survived the 2019 fire that destroyed Notre Dame’s spire and roof. (Macron’s initial proposal for a new contemporary spire also met little support.)
Nevertheless, an international competition was launched to select a design for the replacement windows, with the stipulation that it be figurative. Claire Tabouret’s proposal, selected from a pool of 110 submissions, depicts a diverse group of worshippers during Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on Christ’s disciples, rendered in Tabouret’s expressive style and vivid palette. Each window features a background that incorporates elements of Viollet-le-Duc’s original design.
Advocates for the project argue that Notre-Dame de Paris has never been static, but has instead continuously integrated new artistic elements into its fabric since its construction in the Middle Ages. Philippe Jost, who has led the cathedral’s restoration since the 2019 fire, told ARTnews that the aim is to add “meaning” and “beauty” through the story of Pentecost, while maintaining “coherence” in this section of the building alongside a nearby figurative window depicting the Tree of Jesse.
But as the building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, governed by the principles of the 1964 Venice Charter, the removal of any major element—especially in the absence of necessity—means that an alteration at this scale was never going to be straightforward. The Sites & Monuments has promised a legal challenge to stop the removal of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s windows once the construction permit is officially issued.
The group will have to move fast: Bernard Blistène, former director of the Centre Pompidou, who presided over the selection committee for the window commission, said Tabouret and the Atelier Simon Marq are “ardently working in Reims to produce the windows,” which should be completed and installed by the end of 2026.
