Notre-Dame de Paris: New Furnishings Chosen by Archbishop Ulrich

The choice was submitted to an artistic committee composed of representatives of the diocese, the Ministry of Culture, and qualified personalities. On June 23, 2023, after a final meeting, the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich made his decision public in a press release.

The prelate explains what orientation he had given for the design of five major rooms: “the altar, the baptistery, the ambo, the bishop’s cathedra, and the tabernacle. Each piece must clearly and legibly show its purpose; the whole must constitute a harmony that expresses the mystery of the Christian faith and the unique sacramental life of the faithful.”

The Archbishop of Paris also asked that “the works presented be respectful of the place, its history, and its strong symbolism constituted by the mission it has fulfilled over the centuries.” But also that they respect “the spirit of the Catholic liturgy, according to the meanings and norms established following the Second Vatican Council.”

Finally, furniture should not only be a work of today, but should be designed as durable: “Romanesque altars, or those from the Classical period, have often been used for centuries.” Archbishop Ulrich summarizes all these characteristics as possessing the “noble simplicity” that liturgical rites take on, according to the Conciliar Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

Finally, Guillaume Bardet was asked to create the five main elements of the liturgical furniture. The archbishop believes that his project is coherent; that he appreciates the material chosen – bronze – as well as the immediate comprehensibility of each of the pieces.

Ionna Vautrin was also asked to make the future chairs for Notre-Dame. As for Sylvain Dubuisson, he has already been selected to create the new reliquary for Christ's Crown of Thorns. Their works will be completed by fall 2024.

As soon as the computer-generated images were unveiled, the project provoked many criticisms on social networks: dark, sad, sinister, austere, archaic were among the adjectives used. People did not hesitate to denigrate the choices. “I find it without much artistic interest. It's clumsy, heavy... telluric and not at all transcendent” writes a user. “Ikea design from the 70s, which will age as quickly as the makers of this mediocre choice,” comments another.

The moderns have lost the lofty spirit of the liturgy. Even if Catholic worship should be “simple,” it must be embedded in a noble grandeur, and nothing can be too beautiful to welcome the sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ. With the sense of the transcendent, the moderns have lost the sense of the beautiful.