A little more than five years after the terrible fire which ravaged the site in April 2019, Notre-Dame de Paris will reopen on December 8. To prepare ahead of this unmissable event, which will celebrate the “renaissance” of the cathedral, three exhibitions are to be discovered in Paris.
An immersive journey through time
For those who have not yet had the opportunity to discover the immersive “Eternelle Notre-Dame” experience, there is still time to book your tickets and enjoy, thanks to virtual reality, an exciting journey into the time as close as possible to the cathedral, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
For 45 minutes, the public equipped with a VR headset literally immerses itself in the history of Notre-Dame, from its construction in the 12th century until today. The opportunity to walk the streets of Paris in the Middle Ages, to meet the illustrious characters who wrote its history such as the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, to find yourself at the top of the building, as if you were there, or to measure the damage caused by the terrible fire of April 2019. A captivating immersion, as fun as it is educational, to do especially with the family.
Until May 31, 2025, “Eternal Notre-Dame”. Immersive experience to be discovered on two sites, at the Cité de L'Histoire, under the Grand arch of the Parvis de la Défense, Puteaux and under the square of Notre-Dame de Paris. From €20.99 (reduced price) and €30.99 (full price).
A dive into the heart of the reconstruction site
Getting as close as possible to the pharaonic construction site of Notre-Dame is the proposal made by the Maison du construction et des métiers, located under the cathedral square since March 2023 and until next January. Accessible free of charge, the site offers a better understanding of the reconstruction operations that were necessary after the fire through an educational tour. The opportunity to highlight, through films or a 1/55th scale model of the site, the highlights of this restoration, but also the trades and know-how necessary for this incredible work.
Until January 5, 2025, “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site”, House of the construction site and trades, Parvis de la Cathedrale, Paris. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. with free access.
Discovering the medieval sculptures of Notre-Dame
What can the medieval sculptures of Notre-Dame tell us? On the occasion of the exhibition “Making stones speak. Medieval sculptures of Notre-Dame”, the Cluny museum – national museum of the Middle Ages, main place of conservation of the sculptures of Notre-Dame, proposes to unveil the results of the study and restoration program carried out since 2022 on the sculptures of Notre-Dame. Notre Dame, although no in-depth research had been carried out for almost forty years.
But even more, it will be the opportunity to discover for the first time around thirty polychrome fragments of the old rood screen of the cathedral. And for good reason, dating from 1230, these exceptional fragments were unearthed as part of archaeological excavations carried out by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap), ahead of the reconstruction of the spire. In total, nearly 120 works will be exhibited, showing the decorations of Notre-Dame before the destruction of the modern era.
From November 19, 2024 to March 16, 2025, Exhibition “Making stones speak”, Cluny Museum, 28 Rue du Sommerard, Paris (5th).
