Monsignor Nicolas Souchu blessed some of the 1,500 chairs which will join the cathedral, the reopening of which is planned for the weekend of December 7 and 8. An “out of the ordinary” practice, according to the company Bastiat Sièges.
The new chairs for Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, made by a cabinetmaker from Landes, received the blessing of the bishop of the diocese of Aire-et-Dax on Monday, November 18, on the eve of their departure for the capital. The prelate had proposed this blessing “ uncommon » last spring.
In the Hagetmau workshops of the Bastiat Sièges company, in front of 80 guests scattered among the rolls of fabric and the prototype of the future prie-dieu of Notre-Dame, Monsignor Nicolas Souchu, dressed in his alb, blessed a small part of the 1 500 chairs which will join today the renovated nave of the cathedral, rebuilt after the fire of April 2019. All the liturgical objects of the cathedral will be blessed “ but the chairs probably wouldn't have been », Explains the Landes bishop to AFP. “ It’s also a way of honoring those who made them. », he adds.
The SME Bastiat Sièges, founded in 1964, was chosen to manufacture in “ limited and exclusive edition » the seats intended to furnish the masterpiece of Gothic art from the 12th century, which is among the most visited monuments in Europe. An order which amounts to “ hundreds of thousands of euros », unexpected for Bastiat Sièges and its annual turnover of 1.4 million euros.
“Better comfort”
Its leader Alain Bastiat greeted, in an emotional voice, a “ extraordinary and 100% Landes adventure », except the oak which comes from the forests of Sologne. The family company was also responsible for the design of the prie-Dieu and the benches intended for the annex chapels of the cathedral, which will be delivered in February, explains Sylvain Bastiat, sales director.
Maïté Lausaman, 71 years old, and Véronique Devineau, 61 years old, members of the choir of the Saint-Girons-de-Chalosse parish, express the “ pride and honor » that these chairs are made in the Landes. “ It’s a little piece of our parish that goes to Notre-Dame », reveals Véronique.
The chair, in light solid oak with clean lines, and low to allow the faithful to pray with their elbows on the back, is designed by a Breton designer, Iona Vautrin. The seat, slightly hollowed out and tilted towards the rear, offers better comfort than the old benches reduced to ashes. The stackable chairs can also be connected to each other by a brass fastener. The model was chosen by the Archbishop of Paris, Monseigneur Laurent Ulrich, as part of a call for tenders launched by the Revoir Notre-Dame de Paris association, pilot of the renovation project.
On November 15, the statue of the Virgin and Child, known as “ Virgin of the Pillar », has found its place in the Parisian cathedral, the reopening of which is scheduled for December 7 and 8.
