On April 15, 2019, a major fire occurred in Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, devastating part of the religious building erected between the 12th and 14th centuries. For more than fifteen hours, the flames destroyed the spire of the cathedral, as well as the roofs of the nave and its framework.
Five years later, the reconstruction work on the building is progressing well and Notre-Dame de Paris is preparing to reopen its doors to the public, albeit with a major innovation, with strong symbolism.
The 21st century brand in an emblematic building
Responding to a request made by the Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Laurent Ulrich, French President Emmanuel Macron announced, in December 2023, the installation of contemporary figurative stained glass windows in six chapels on the south aisle of the nave. New stained glass windows which will bring to the cathedral “the brand of the 21st century» and will replace the 19th century stained glass windows, created by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, which will therefore have to be dismantled.
“This artistic commission, will later explain the French Ministry of Culture in a press releasewill be the contribution of our time to this remarkable heritage, the work of numerous builders and artists who have contributed, over the centuries, to the splendor of the cathedral“.
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In charge of this highly symbolic project, an artistic committee composed of twenty members was set up by the said ministry. Heritage curators, artists, members of the Diocese of Paris, the public establishment responsible for the reconstruction project and the Ministry of Culture… in total, twenty members make up this committee chaired by the former director of the National Museum of Modern Art , Bernard Blistène, and aim to select, from November 2024, a duo composed of an artist and a glass craftsman who will be entrusted with the task of creating the six contemporary stained glass windows and “figurative», with a view to installation in 2026.
Tahar Ben Jelloun and Philippe Brissy, a duo that stands out
Among the 110 applications received, the one submitted by the Franco-Moroccan writer and artist Tahar Ben Jelloun and the master glassmaker Philippe Brissy, who joined forces for the occasion with the Atelier du vitrail de Limoges, stands out.
When this project was announced, Tahar Ben Jelloun immediately called his friend Philippe Brissy, who “thought it was a great idea», explains the writer in an exchange with Le360. No sooner said than done, the duo set to work to put together the application file accompanied by a letter of intent. “It’s a huge job“, estimates Tahar Ben Jelloun who estimates the surface area of stained glass windows to be covered at 120m2, which should represent “Pentecost and the saints of this feast“, he explains.
This is not the first time that Tahar Ben Jelloun and Philippe Brissy have combined their talents. Indeed, when the novelist and Prix Goncourt was chosen to create the stained glass windows of the Saint Génulf du Thoureil church, located on the banks of the Loire, between Saumur and Angers, it was with Philippe Brissy that he created this dreams of bringing together the Mediterranean and the Loire.
Since November 28, 2019, eight magnificent contemporary stained glass windows, designed by Tahar Ben Jelloun and created by Philippe Brissy, bring light and color to the Saint Génulf church and reflect this reality specific to Tahar Ben Jelloun’s painting: spiritual , bright, positive, colorful and joyful, like life.
Soon a miracle at Notre-Dame de Paris?
In the same way that he drew on religious readings to create the stained glass windows of the church of Saint Génulf, becoming the first artist of Muslim culture to be entrusted with such a mission, Tahar Ben Jelloun applied to read “what is written about the different saints, the light that descends on them» for the Notre-Dame stained glass project.
The symbolism is powerful. Will the miracle of bringing religions into communion under the brush of Tahar Ben Jelloun in a church happen again at Notre-Dame de Paris?
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“That’s what I’m counting on, but it’s going to be difficult», confides Tahar Ben Jelloun, because, already, big names in contemporary art have been announced among the numerous candidates. Daniel Buren, Hervé Di Rosa, Yan Pei-Ming and Pascal Convert are among the contenders, like Robert Combas, Laure Prouvost, Philippe Parreno, Jean-Michel Alberola, Jaume Plensa, Claire Tabouret and Barthélemy Togo… The selection promises to be difficult, although despite the fame which surrounds the name of these artists, Bernard Blistène announces that he “reserves the right to surprise» by also selecting “lesser known artists“.
Although he considers his chances of winning this project to be slim, Tahar Ben Jelloun nevertheless entertains the idea of being at least one of the five candidates selected, if only for “the great signal» that this would represent, instilled by “the meeting between the two religions and spiritualities“. Beyond “this beautiful symbol“, the artist weighs “great satisfaction on the political level» that this project could embody, because, he specifies “Islam is the second largest religion in France», a country where, unfortunately, “hatred of Islam, increasingly developed by the right and the extreme right, has become an infernal litany“.
As a message of peace, Tahar Ben Jelloun hopes to have this opportunity “to bring a little sun and light, through (his) painting, into this building which has become universal, which belongs to all nations and to everyone“.
