Paris, Banks of the Seine

• Project of new buildings within the historic setting (issue resolved)

• Fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris on 15 April 2019

N/A

On 1 February 2022, in response to Decision 44 COM 7B.46 of the World Heritage Committee, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/600/documents/. On 28 and 29 March 2022, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory mission took place. On 14 September 2022, the State Party submitted additional information. The progress made is presented below:

The main objective of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory mission (28 and 29 March 2022) was to discuss the exterior restoration, the liturgical development and the development of the square and the surroundings of the Cathedral, as well as the prevention of the risks of possible new disasters, while bearing in mind the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the inscribed property "Paris, Banks of the Seine", of which Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is a component. As part of the mission, a visit to the reconstruction site was made in order to report on the progress of the consolidation and restoration work.

The modalities for implementing the restoration of the exterior of the Cathedral, as well as the projects related to the liturgical arrangement and its surroundings, as presented to the mission team, are compatible with the OUV and its attributes, re-establishing the Cathedral as one of the major Gothic architectural masterpieces within the “Paris, Banks of the Seine” World Heritage property. It should be noted that the mission took place when certain decisions concerning the restoration of the Cathedral and its surroundings had already been taken. Other decisions were to follow in the months following the mission and would be based on information that was not yet available at the time of the mission. It should be noted that the State Party has not responded to the World Heritage Centre's invitation to submit updates on any significant changes in the state of conservation of the property since the submission of its last report in February 2022 and the Advisory mission. The mission report noted that the two main projects determining the restoration of the exterior of Notre-Dame were the reconstruction of the entire lead roof and the reconstruction of the spire. There is sufficient information available to carry out the work according to the original execution techniques, using the same materials as those used for the construction of the Cathedral and the craftsmanship necessary to restore it to its original state.However, it is recommended that the Committee invite the State Party to submit a clear timetable of the work planned to carry out the reconstruction and restoration of the roofs, the restoration of the façades and the interiors, specifying the options for cleaning techniques and the justification for the choice of the expected result (especially in relation to the historical frame of reference and possible specific findings) and identifying the key phases of decision-making concerning the restoration options and their actors, and to share with the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, detailed information on the progress of the reconstruction and restoration work on the cathedral.

In the various implementation options examined by the State Party at the time of the Advisory mission, the reflections concerning the project for development around the Cathedral and the liturgical development, their integration adapted to the reception of visitors and the faithful, and their articulation with the restoration project of the building, were likely to succeed, without compromising the attributes on which the OUV of the property is based.

The mission report had recommended that the outcome of the competitive process involving international design teams and the final design of the liturgical layout be communicated to the World Heritage Committee as soon as possible. It is therefore recommended that the Committee invite the State Party to inform the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, of the details of the selected project for the redevelopment of the surroundings of Notre-Dame, as well as the planned timetable for its validation by the competent national bodies and its implementation.

The development of a detailed fire safety project for the cathedral, received on 14 September 2022, is very positive. It is recommended that the State Party be reminded of the need for an integrated management plan for the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" property, while recognising the systems in place and the complexity of the task. To this end, the mission recommended the creation of specific interim management plans for each major component of the property, starting with the Cathedral and the surrounding area, followed by a plan for the Ile de la Cité, which could be followed by an integrated management plan for the entire property. A strategy for the management of public use of the Cathedral’s surroundings from 2024, pending the completion of restoration work on the building, should be developed as soon as possible and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

It is also recommended that the new finalized risk prevention and management plan form part of the integrated management plan for the property and be communicated to the World Heritage Centre.

Finally, it is further recommended that the Committee invite the State Party to engage in a regular and strengthened dialogue with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in order to promote a clearer understanding of the various restoration options and decisions envisaged or retained for the building and its surroundings, with a clear timetable for their implementation.