Contemporary stained-glass windows of Notre-Dame: a first glimpse in December at the Grand Palais
The models of Claire Tabouret's compositions, which are due to arrive in the cathedral at the end of 2026, will be on display for several months in the Parisian museum.
Contemporary creations to replace Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's stained-glass windows. The initiative, initially contested by some heritage advocates, was approved in June. These compositions, which are scheduled to arrive at Notre-Dame de Paris by the end of 2026, will be unveiled at the Grand Palais from December to March 2026. They will be in the form of life - size models.
The artist Claire Tabouret, who created it, announced it in an interview with the daily newspaper La Croix . "I would like to allow the public to debate it, to take ownership of this creation and make them want - I hope - to discover it in stained glass , " says the Frenchwoman, whose project, carried out with the Reims glass workshop Simon-Marq, was selected last December.
The 120-square-meter stained-glass windows will replace six of the seven bays in the south aisle designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who restored the cathedral in the 19th century. As Le Figaro reported, the French National Commission for Heritage and Architecture, opposed to Emmanuel Macron's desire to install contemporary stained-glass windows, "acknowledged" the project's continuation in June .
Faced with criticism , the artist says she finds it "reassuring that we are having a public debate in France, well beyond just specialists, on the conservation of historic monuments." "The cathedral has already evolved considerably over the centuries. It is important, I believe, to continue to bear witness today to the vitality of a Church that is moving forward," she says.
The painter also says she was careful to adopt a "color balance" for her stained-glass windows that wouldn't disrupt the building's light. This is a departure from her usual creations. She also says she was "won over" by the imposed theme, Pentecost.
"The idea of people who manage to unite, to understand each other despite the diversity of their languages, this crazy hope, I really wanted to participate in it. We live in such a divided, chaotic, frightening world," says the artist, who brings a new stone to the rebirth of Notre-Dame .
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