Public lecture on Notre-Dame de Paris from its construction to the present day «Notre-Dame de Paris: durable, but not immutable (12th-21st centuries)» by Mathieu Lours, architecture historian
The Notre-Dame Cathedral that we know today is the fruit of many rebirths and architectural transformations. Yet its function has never varied: it has been the cathedral of the diocese of Paris for nearly seventeen centuries. However, its architectural form, its layout and its connection to the political and cultural history of France have undergone many changes. It is therefore fundamental to focus our attention on some of the key moments in which Notre-Dame was transformed: its reconstruction in the 12th century, its first metamorphosis in the middle of the 13th, its updating in classical times, its restoration in the 19th century and the still open book that constitutes its restoration after the fire of April 15, 2019. Moments in its history that allow us to better understand its relationship to time, and in particular to the long time of sustainable buildings.
About Mathieu Lours
Mathieu Lours is an architectural historian. A specialist in religious architecture, particularly in the modern era, he is responsible for the disciplinary field of history at the Chaillot School, teaching in university and preparatory classes at the Grandes Écoles in Art History. He is the author of numerous works devoted to religious architecture, such as Churches of Paris, from the Great Century to the Enlightenment, L'autre temps des cathédrales and a monograph on Saint-Sulpice. He also published Notre-Dame des siècles, a French passion, devoted to the relationship between Notre-Dame de Paris and political power.