Notre-Dame Stained Glass: I Was Wrong

Metin Arditi has changed his mind about the planned contemporary stained-glass windows for Notre-Dame de Paris. In a new column, he acknowledges that he was wrong to oppose replacing the windows designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

Arditi had previously criticized two decisions linked to the cathedral’s restoration after the fire of April 15, 2019. He believed the destroyed spire should have been replaced with a contemporary work, leaving a visible mark of the fire. At the same time, he opposed replacing the Viollet-le-Duc windows in the south chapel, which he said remained in perfect condition despite the blaze.

He had argued that removing the 1865 windows would violate the principles of the Venice Charter. But as the dispute continues and the installation of the new windows approaches, Arditi now sees a different value in the project.

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I was wrong.

Supporters of the replacement say the contemporary works will occupy only 5% of Notre-Dame’s glazed surfaces and that contemporary art should become part of the cathedral’s history. Arditi dismisses those arguments as insufficient. For him, the central question is whether the cathedral can connect with new generations raised in an age of constant images.

He considers the figurative character of Claire Tabouret’s windows their greatest strength. Because they show people and life, he writes, they may speak more directly to young people than ornamental work would. The column presents this change of view as a personal admission amid an unresolved cultural controversy.

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The cathedral’s mission is to bring people together, to make one.