Five Years after the Notre Dame blaze, an Exhibition shows the rescued Art Treasures

From masterpieces preserved after the fire of April 15, 2019 to contemporary pieces designed to restore the cathedral, this exhibition will highlight the work done over the past five years to restore and rethink the interior decor of the cathedral. Among the major works, thirteen great Mays, due to the best painters of the 17^ecentury (Charles Le Brun, Laurent de La Hyre, Charles Poerson, etc.), restored and studied by the DRAC Île-de-France, will be shown for the first time in two centuries in the same scenography: a unique opportunity to discover these works and the skills and know-howmake use of excellence mobilized by the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) to restore their radiance before their relocation to the cathedral. This exceptional heritage will interact with the monumental choir carpet offered by Charles X, restored by the Mobilier National, and with the presentation of new liturgical furniture and assizes, resulting from a competition launched by the Diocese of Paris in 2023.

At the beginning of the 17th^e century, after the end of the Wars of Religion and as part of a renewal of expression of the Catholic faith, the interior decoration of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral was redesigned and enriched. Many painted works were hung in the cathedral. Some were presented in the chapels; others formed a special collection, called Mays of Notre-Dame: these paintings, offered each year in May, between 1630 and 1707, by the guild of goldsmiths of Paris, were gradually hung in the nave. Each work offered was accompanied by an explanation and a poem. Seventy-six Mays of large format thus joined the cathedral throughout the 17^e century, forming a unique collection, witness to the artistic quality of religious painting in France at that time.

The Revolution upset the decor of the building and the works were dispersed: some of them were hosted in museums, in Paris or in the region, others were assigned to other churches in France. At 19^ethen on the 20th^e century, various movements made it possible to place in the cathedral several of the paintings that were there in 17^ecentury.

Of the 76 Mays 13 were presented in the cathedral in 2019. The fire did not cause any damage to these works; however, all were evacuated and the decision was made to restore them overall. This operation was led by the DRAC Île-de-France, with the support of the C2RMF.

Restored since July 2022 in the carpet restoration workshop of the Mobilier national, the choir carpet of nearly 200 m² commissioned by Charles X and donated by Louis-Philippe to the cathedral will also be presented to the public before joining the cathedral at its reopening.

This exhibition is a unique opportunity to show the richness of the decorations of the cathedral, placing it in its context of creation and emphasizing the collection of Mays. It is also an opportunity to highlight the know-how, technical and scientific, of the teams of restorers who contributed to the restoration of the exhibits, revealing these sets in a new light.

At the heart of the exhibition, the work and gestures of these restorers and craftsmen will be highlighted thanks to digital devices giving keys of understanding on this restoration site implemented since 2019.