Controversial Notre-Dame Redesign Up For Vote

Paris, Dec 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Dec, 2021 ) :A controversial redesign of the interior of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris -- including possible street art installations and softer mood lighting -- will be considered by heritage authorities on Thursday.

Church authorities are adamant the plans -- part of a wider rebuilding project following a devastating fire in 2019 -- are not revolutionary and will simply offer visitors a warmer welcome.

But the prospective changes have already sparked criticism, with around 100 public figures putting their Names to an opinion piece in right-wing newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday saying they "entirely undermine the decor and religious space" of the Gothic landmark.

Twenty experts are meeting on Thursday at the National Heritage and Architecture Commission to hear the presentation by the church authorities, with a vote due later in the day.

There was worldwide shock over the fire of April 15, 2019 that destroyed much of the roof and spire of Notre-Dame, which is visited by some 12 million people a year.

The diocese is taking the opportunity to rework the interior ahead of its planned reopening in 2024.

The culture ministry confirmed to AFP that street art pioneer Ernest Pignon-Ernest, as well as other modern artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Louise Bourgeois, are among the names being considered for display when new art installations replace some of the little-used 19th-century confessionals.