A new fire threatens the architectural integrity of Notre-Dame de Paris. This time it’s an intellectual fire, and one that’s been sparked time and time again: whether modern styles have a place in ancient architecture.
Historic monuments the world over have been preserved to varying degrees—from sympathetic restorations to full-on renovations—depending on society’s opinions at the time. And often, these restoration efforts have been fanned by the flames of fame and in the name of artistic progress.
In 2026, the Gothic masterpiece is set to have six contemporary stained glass windows installed in six of the seven chapels on the south aisle of the nave. They will replace 19th-century windows that survived the fire.
Before exploring these new additions, it’s important to visit the hallmarks of Gothic architecture.
‘Heavenly Jerusalem’
Known as the jewel of French Gothic architecture, every inch of Notre-Dame de Paris was designed to inspire devotion. Even the three main elements of Gothic architecture—pointed arches, rib-vaulted ceilings, and stained-glass rose windows—all point heavenward, through their subject matter or architectural design.
The French Gothic masterpiece Notre-Dame de Paris, from the bank of the Seine River. Six 19th-century chapel windows are set to be replaced with contemporary, figurative stained glass in 2026. Production Perig/Shutterstock
In “The Story of Art,” art historian E.H. Gombrich (1909–2001) described how Gothic cathedrals gift the faithful a glimpse of “Heavenly Jerusalem”:
“With its gates of pearl, its priceless jewels, its streets of pure gold and transparent glass (Revelation xxi) … this vision had descended from heaven to earth. The walls of these buildings were not cold and forbidding. They were formed of stained glass that shone like rubies and emeralds. The pillars, ribs, and tracery, were glistening with gold. Everything that was heavy, earthly or humdrum was eliminated. The faithful who surrendered themselves to the contemplation of all this beauty could feel that they had come nearer to understanding the mysteries of a realm beyond the reach of matter.”
Gombrich’s sentiment echoes Abbot Suger’s inscription on the doors of the Gothic Basilica of St. Denis in Paris, written over 800 years earlier:
All you who seek to honor these doors, Marvel not at the gold and expense but at the craftsmanship of the work. The noble work is bright, but, being nobly bright, the work Should brighten the minds, allowing them to travel through the lights
…
The dull mind rises to the truth through material things, And is resurrected from its former submersion when the light is seen.
Suger (1081–1151) is seen as the father of Gothic architecture. When restoring St. Denis, he wrote: “We sought to safeguard both reverence for the ancient consecration and a harmonious coherence with the modern work according to the pattern already established.”Notre-Dame’s Stained Glass
Between 1855 and 1865, architects Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814–79) and Jean-Baptiste Lassus (1807–57) set about creating a new decorative scheme for the stained glass as part of the wider cathedral restoration, aiming to restore the church’s medieval atmosphere.
St. Peter Chapel in Notre-Dame de Paris. Franck Legros/Shutterstock
Most of the colorful 13th-century stained glass windows were removed from the nave in 1753 to bring more light into the church. Between 1855 and 1860, glassmakers created grisailles based on the windows that Viollet-le-Duc had seen in Bourges Cathedral in central France.
Derived from the French “gris” (gray), grisaille first gained popularity after the Cistercian order banned colored and figurative stained glass in 1134. In Sermon 45 on the Song of Songs, the Cistercian monk St. Bernard of Clairvaux preached: “There is here (in contemplation), as I think, no need or use for material, sense-transmitted images of Christ’s flesh or cross, or any other representations which belong to the weakness of His mortality.”
The grisaille in the St. Peter Chapel of Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the six chapel windows set to be replaced by contemporary stained glass in 2026. Red diamonds throughout the lancet windows (tall, narrow windows with a lance-like point) highlight the red star of the rose window at the summit. It’s surrounded with delicate grisaille foliage. Public Domain
Glass painters created two types of grisaille: clear glass with silver painted foliage and clear glass with lead that defined geometric patterns.
Far from being a poor relation to colored stained glass, grisaille is rich in symbolism. According to the online magazine Vidimus: “Vegetation [in grisaille] is thought to represent Christ the Creator symbolising truth, the Resurrection, and the Tree of Jesse. Geometric grisaille represents the divine and rational order of creation.”
The grisaille in the St. Francis-Xavier Chapel at Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the six chapel windows set to be replaced by contemporary stained glass in 2026. Glassmakers created geometric patterns of diamonds, half-quadrilobes, and mandorlas over grisaille painted foliage on the lancet windows (tall, narrow windows with a lance-like point). The colorful border echoes the colors used throughout the window. Public Domain
The grisaille in the St. Joseph Chapel at Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the six chapel windows set to be replaced by contemporary stained glass in 2026. The often complex and colorful geometric patterns of grisaille still allow neutrally colored light to enter the chapel. Public Domain
1935’s Modern Art Windows
In 1935, glassmaker Louis Barillet wrote to The Historic Monuments Commission (Les Commission des Monuments Historiques) on behalf of 12 glassmakers. He proposed replacing the 19th-century high bay grisaille windows in the nave of Notre-Dame de Paris.They wanted to reinstate the colorful atmosphere of the original medieval stained glass windows by using the avant-garde art style of cubism. Around 1907, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) and Georges Braque (1882–1963) invented the modern art movement of cubism in which multiple perspectives of a subject are presented in one abstract image.
Some of those windows are currently on display in the “Notre-Dame de Paris: The Quarrel Over Stained Glass Windows” exhibition. The exhibition at The City of Stained Glass, Troyes, in Aube, northern France explores the 30 years between 1935 and 1965, when modern artists wanted to make their mark on the Gothic masterpiece.
Exhibition curator Marie-Hélène Didier said in the press release: “These stained glass windows were not considered in harmony with the architecture of the cathedral.”
Even though the archbishop of Paris (Cardinal Verdier) and the general inspector of historical monuments, Eugène Rattier, instructed the artists in iconography, there were many issues.
On March 25, 1935, the commission’s vice president, Gabriel Ruprich-Robert, outlined his concerns in a letter to the director-general of fine arts, Georges Huisman. He noted the good condition of the grisailles and that any work on historic monuments “must be limited to preserving the heritage.” He felt that the number of artists and the diverse proposals jeopardized the harmony of the project. He concluded: “This building [Notre-Dame] cannot be the field of an experiment that is not essential.”
The commission also felt that the different styles, colors, and proportions used in each window failed to form a coherent whole.
Didier said: “Seeing all these creations next to each other today, we understand the reluctance of the commission. The twelve artists who drew these stained glass windows worked independently.” This independence led to the windows having an overall incoherent artistic theme, with some commentators calling this dissonance a cacophony. “The lack of harmony must have been flagrant,” said exhibition curator Julia Boyon in the press release.
In 1939, The Foundation of the Safeguarding of French Art petitioned Cardinal Verdier. Those against the contemporary windows were concerned about the lack of harmony and the incoherent narrative, and that it would indicate that modern art had surpassed the Old Masters, which it had not.
On April 22, 1939, Le Figaro newspaper reported: “At a time when economic concerns and the fear of war were dulling intelligence and depressing sensibilities, the Parisian public was still capable of being passionate about an artistic problem.”
The exhibition curators explained that people weren’t necessarily against the project. They were against the modern works being in Notre-Dame, and they believed it would set a precedent for historic buildings thereafter.
In 1939, the cubist-style windows were installed in the cathedral. But the outbreak of World War II led to the windows’ removal for safe keeping. They were never returned.
The grisaille in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the six chapel windows set to be replaced by contemporary stained glass in 2026. Grisaille flowers and leaves on the six-lobed rose window are enhanced with touches of red, blue, green, and yellow—a color scheme repeated throughout the glass. Public Domain
The grisaille in the St. Eloi Chapel at Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the six chapel windows set to be replaced by contemporary stained glass in 2026. Glass artisans created thin borders on the rose windows, allowing more light to enter the chapel while also enhancing the window’s delicate flowers. Public Domain
The grisaille in the St. Geneviève Chapel of Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the six chapel windows set to be replaced by contemporary stained glass in 2026. A beautiful rose bursts into bloom on the main rose window. It especially stands out due to the repetition of blue and yellow in the borders of the lancet windows (tall, narrow windows with a lance-like point). Public Domain
2026’s Modern Art Windows
Ninety years on and a devastating fire later, the grisailles of Notre-Dame de Paris are threatened again. This time, six grisaille windows in six chapels surrounding the nave may be replaced with figurative stained glass windows based on the Pentecost.After the fire, the French government founded a public body called the Public Establishment to preserve and restore the cathedral. On Jan. 27, the French heritage association Sites & Monuments challenged the competence of the Public Establishment on two points: for organizing the stained glass windows’ replacement and its subsequent contract with the Los Angeles-based, French artist Claire Tabouret.
French artist Claire Tabouret poses following a press conference. She and the Atelier Simon-Marq stained glass studio were selected to create new stained glass windows in six chapels of the south aisle of Notre-Dame de Paris, on Dec. 18, 2024. (Stephane de Sakutin/AFP)
Many objections to these new contemporary windows mirror the arguments against the 1930s windows. French journalist Didier Rykner started a petition to halt the project, which has garnered over 280,000 signatures at the time of press.
Only time will tell if Tabouret’s windows will be installed in Notre-Dame de Paris. For now, cathedral visitors can step into Gombrich’s “Heavenly Jerusalem” and bask in the divine light of Viollet-le-Duc et al. Gothic revival grisailles.
St. Geneviève Chapel in Notre-Dame de Paris. Franck Legros/Shutterstock
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