Sacred Art Of Notre-Dame de Paris Restored – Five Years After The Fire In Cathedral

Five years ago, on April 15th 2019, one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture – the cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, became an image of inferno. During the renovation works the roof of the cathedral caught fire and burned for 15 hours. 

Thanks to Parisian firefighters, the fire was stopped before it could destroy the unique masterpieces of sacred art. In the weeks after, a rare collection of 17th-century religious paintings was removed from the cathedral, all damp but mostly undamaged.

Today, French cultural agency in charge for the conservation of France’s historical objects, Mobilier National, has announced that this saved and restored collection, will go on display at an exhibition.

The exhibition is a chance to see them all in one place, in the order they were painted which is how they would have been originally displayed. What you see now is how they would have looked the day they were completed.

Emmanuel Pénicaut, director of Mobilier National

The exhibition “Notre-Dame’s restored masterpieces” takes place at Mobilier National from 24 April to 21 July 2024. On display will be the restored masterpieces of sacred art, including thirteen large “Mays”.

The Mays are a series of paintings in 17th and early 18th century Paris. They were commissioned by the goldsmiths’ guild of Paris to offer to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in the early days of the month of May. The tradition began in 1630 and one painting was offered each year between then and 1707, with the exception of 1683 and 1694.

Among the major works are ensembles created by some of the greatest painters of the 17th century, including Charles Le Brun, Laurent de La Hyre and Charles Poerson. These paintings will be shown to the public for the first time in two centuries in the same scenography, before being reinstalled in the cathedral.