Meticulous and passionate, Henri Vivier has collected over the years 18 baptism shells which he is preparing to part with. “I decided to donate it to Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on the occasion of its reopening”he confides. Five of these shells will be exhibited to visitors, the others will be kept in the reserve. All of them will still be able to be used. “It was very important for me that this collection found a setting that would honor the liturgical dimension of the object. I am therefore very happy that Notre-Dame can receive them, and all the more so since the Treasure of the cathedral does not contain any goldwork prior to the 19th century, these having been looted by the revolutionaries.”
No more paying churches and bargain cathedrals
This donation is all the more symbolic as the new furniture in the cathedral honors the sacrament of baptism, fundamental in the life of Catholics. For the first time in the history of the cathedral, a baptistery (place where baptism is carried out) is in fact installed at the beginning of the nave to mark initiation into the life of faith.
Henri Vivier knows Notre-Dame well, “this beautiful place that speaks to the whole world”. He volunteered there and sang for several years in the choir. Through his gesture, he joins, in his own way, the 340,000 donors, from 150 countries, who participated in the restoration of the building. “I hope that the donation made by a Belgian patron abroad will also make our country shine beyond its borders.”
