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 26 January 2024, in response to Decision 45 COM 7B.53 of the World Heritage Committee, the State Party submitted a State of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/600/documents/. The report focuses on the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in view of its reopening and provides the following information:

• In 2023, the following progress has been recorded:
  • The completion of the spire’s framework at the end of November 2023 with the installation of the needle,
  • The installation of the cross and, finally, the rooster, in December 2023,
  • The reconstruction of the nave and choir roof structure, with lead roofing work starting in early 2024;
• The report highlights the restoration work underway with a view to reopening the cathedral on 8 December 2024:
  • The reconstruction and consolidation of the vaults, the restoration of the gable walls, the rampart walkway and the low walls, the restoration of the great attic and its oak frame, the restoration of the belfries,
  • The reconstruction of the original Viollet-le-Duc spire and lead roofing,
  • The decontamination and reinstallation of the great organ and the complete replacement of the choir organ instrument; an extension to the choir organ will be built to meet the needs of the liturgy;
• With regard to fire protection, a fire defence and safety project for the cathedral was developed in March 2022, receiving a favourable opinion from the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (Commission nationale du patrimoine et de l’architecture – CNPA) in June 2022:
  • The fire safety systems have been completely overhauled, in particular to protect high-risk areas such as the great attic, the belfries and the great organs: 24‑hour security control centre, installation of firebreaks in the attic, fire aspiration automatic detection system, automatic extinguishing by misting, improved flow rates available for the misting system and fire brigade interventions, etc.,
  • These systems have been designed to optimise their architectural integration and respect the heritage value of the site. The high-pressure misting system should have as little impact as possible on the building (thanks to a smaller diameter, more optimised network). Its water supply will be provided by an external network located on the east facade of the towers of the western massif, thus limiting the external impact of the installation. All the external networks will be painted in a stone tone for better architectural integration;
• In addition, only part of the cathedral’s exterior will have been treated by the time it reopens. This work, the programme for which has yet to be specified, will notably concern the exterior elevations of the cathedral (apse, transept, sacristy, nave, great rose, etc.). A programme to redevelop the cathedral’s forecourt and surroundings, as well as the new liturgical development project put forward by the clergy, were also presented to the CNPA, in February 2022 and July 2023 respectively; the files for these two projects, as well as the Commission’s conclusions, are attached to the report. Finally, two future projects involving the building have been announced:
  • The creation of a “Cathedral Museum”, to be housed in the Hôtel-Dieu: this project to bring together the collections relating to the cathedral in a museum was revived by new excavations in 2022. A final report was due to be submitted to the Ministry of Culture in April 2024,
  • The creation of contemporary stained glass windows, at the request of the Archbishop of Paris, to mark the period of the fire and the restoration. They would be installed in six chapels on the south aisle of the cathedral. The existing stained glass windows - created in the 19th century and listed as historic monuments - were not damaged by the fire. This project for new stained glass windows was strongly opposed by public opinion. Commissioned by the French Government, the project will be managed by its departments.

In the context of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Île-de-France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, the World Heritage Centre requested the State Party on 18 December 2023 to provide a complete overview of the installations and developments planned for this occasion within the perimeter of the property, specifying, where appropriate, their duration and decommissioning measures, as well as the heritage impact assessments (HIAs) carried out. The State Party has submitted information which is currently being reviewed.

On 26 January 2024, the State Party submitted to the World Heritage Centre a request for a minor boundary modification of the property for examination by the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (see Document WHC/24/46.COM/8B.Add); as well as a document presenting the main lines of the future management plan for the property. A first meeting to launch the work of drawing up the management plan is scheduled for autumn 2024; this work should be completed by the end of 2026.

On 8 February 2024, the Paris City Council voted to launch a redevelopment project for the Place de la Concorde, an attribute underpinning the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). A call for tenders will be launched by the end of 2024 to appoint a team responsible for transforming the square. The Mayor of Paris has set up a multi-disciplinary commission of experts to draw up a guideline document for a project that reconciles heritage, environmental, architectural, tourism and everyday use issues. UNESCO is a member of this commission as an observer.

Work is continuing on the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, a component of the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" World Heritage property, with the aim of reopening it to worship and visitors in December 2024.

The arrangements for the cathedral's new fire defence and safety project appear to provide an adequate level of fire surveillance, detection and defence in the building.

With regard to the project to develop the area around the cathedral, which is currently being studied for implementation from 2025, it is noted that the State Party is committed to keeping the World Heritage Committee informed of the choices that will be made. The creation of the Cathedral Museum at the Hôtel-Dieu, together with the proposals for the archaeological museum, is a key element in the rehabilitation of the Notre-Dame area. The additional information provided on the project for the area around the cathedral covers the first part of the project development process. In particular, it presents initial proposals for the conceptual treatment of the link between the Hôtel-Dieu and the Cathedral forecourt. While the finalised project proposal does not differ significantly from the project documentation provided with the State of conservation report, the project under development appears to maintain the property’s essential relationship with the river and the city. It is essential that documentation on the progress of the project is submitted to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The liturgical arrangement project was unanimously approved by the CNPA, with recommendations concerning the details for the further specification of the project. A technical review of the project received will be prepared and sent to the State Party as soon as possible. It will be important that detailed documentation on the progress of the project is shared with the World Heritage Centre for possible comment by the Advisory Bodies. The initiative to create a museum dedicated to the cathedral, which would be housed in the Hôtel-Dieu, is to be welcomed and will help to highlight the collections relating to this important place of worship, art and history.

The project to create contemporary stained glass windows to mark the period of the fire and restoration, to be installed in six chapels on the south aisle of the cathedral in place of the existing 19th century stained glass windows, should be considered further. This project should be further discussed with all stakeholders in a spirit of openness and consensus-building, and be subject to an HIA based on the Guide and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and informed by the principles and rationale of the Cathedral’s reconstruction and restoration project, following the 2019 fire.

The development of the management plan for the property has begun, and its main lines have been shared with the World Heritage Centre. The State Party may wish to draw on the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape in this process. It is recommended that the State Party submit the integrated management plan for the property to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to its adoption. The recommendation of the World Heritage Committee in its Decision 45 COM 7B.53 to include the new risk prevention and management plan in the integrated management plan for the property should be reiterated.

Finally, it is recommended that the State Party pursue a more regular dialogue with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in the context of the restoration work of the cathedral and the development of its surroundings.