During the ancien regime, Notre-Dame de Paris did not host great occasions. This function was performed rather by other religious edifices in the capital and surrounding area – the Sainte-Chapelle was the receptacle of the crown of thorns brought back by Saint Louis, the cathedral at Reims was used for the coronation of the kings, and the basilica of Saint-Denis was used for their funerals and burials. It is true that Notre-Dame was the scene of some French royal services, notably solemn entries, Te Deum's of thanksgiving, funeral and wedding services, but it was not until the First Empire and the great events held in the cathedral during that period that the building rightfully became to be known as the 'the parish of the history of France'.
The building was not however spared during the Revolution – initially sacked by looters, it was re-named the 'Temple to the Goddess Reason', before finally ending up as a warehouse for wine! It was only by a Concordat of 1801 that Notre-Dame was returned by the First Consul to the Catholic Church and its bishop, Mgr de Belloy, was nominated. For his enthronement on 11 April, 1802, Palm Sunday, the building was hastily decorated in an attempt to hide the ravages of the Revolutionaries – pillars were draped with cloth, the altar was rebuilt, and a figure of Christ was brought from Arras. A week later Bonaparte and all the officials of the Consulat came to Mass on Easter Day and the Concordat was solemnly pronounced. The bells of Notre-Dame could ring once more.
It was subsequently no coincidence that Napoleon should choose Notre-Dame for his coronation ceremony. And a great deal of preparatory work was undertaken. Houses were demolished to clear the surroundings of the cathedral, and Napoleon ordered that the streets along which the cortege was to pass, namely rue de Rivoli, the Place du Carrousel and the Quai Bonaparte, should be entirely paved. Percier and Fontaine designed a neo-Gothic style portico to be placed on the forecourt in front of the cathedral; this was made of wood, card and stucco and it led via a covered gallery decorated with Gobelins tapestries into the interior of the building. Another wooden gallery was built along the side of the cathedral as far as the 'archivêché' or Bishop's residence where an enormous tent was erected to form a vestibule. It was here that the Pope and his entourage robed and where Napoleon and Josephine donned their coronation robes. The built was whitened with lime and the interior was hung with fabrics and silk and velvet drapes decorated with the coats of arms and insignia of the Empire (that is, spread eagles, the letter 'N' combined with crowns and laurel wreaths, bees, stars and garlands of oak leaves). By partly masking the Gothic of the nave, the decorators achieved the hybrid effect of a sort of neo-Greek temple invested with Roman grandeur, in complete accord with the taste of the day. One contemporary wryly remarked: 'God wouldn't have recognised the place'. The great ironwork around the choir was removed, as were two altars. Raised seating was built the length of the nave and in the clerestories so as to allow all the official representatives of France to be present at the ceremony. The task of designing the costumes of the Imperial family and the high dignitaries was given to Isabey and the ceremonial was devised by Portalis and Bernier. Several thrones were set up, amongst which one was for Pius VII. And it was before the Pope, and with the Pope's consent, that Napoleon crowned himself and then Josephine. After this double coronation, there took place a ceremony which was republican in character. The new Emperor then took his place on a throne ostentatiously placed on a high platform above the nave in front of the closed West Door and delivered an oration in which he vowed to maintain the integrity of Republican territory, to bring about respect for equal rights, to enforce political, civic and religious freedoms, to underline the irrevocability of the sale of national property, and not to raise taxes other than through the law.
Notre-Dame was subsequently to be the site of the great Imperial ceremonies (notably, the reception of the banners of Austerlitz, 1 January 1806 and the baptism of the King of Rome, 9 June 1811) before witnessing at first hand the end of the regime on 3 May, 1814, when Louis XVIII on entering Paris went straight to the cathedral to hear a Te Deum composed by Lesueur.
After the publication of Hugo's famous novel Notre-Dame de Paris in 1831, the Romantic movement was vociferous about the dilapidated state of the cathedral. Under encouragement from Merimée, it was decided in 1843 that a general restoration should be undertaken, and in 1845 the restoration work, guided by Viollet-le-Duc and Lassus, began. On Lassus's death in 1857, Viollet-le-Duc carried on the restoration on his own. In concert with the Deschaume atelier he re-established the sculpture work, the pinnacles were once again inhabited by armies of figures, the gargoyles were transformed into fantastical beasts, the spire destroyed in 1792 was re- erected and statues of the apostles and symbols of the evangelists were added to it. Indeed, the features of the architect were sculpted into the statue of Saint Thomas.
But for Viollet-le-Duc it was not enough simply to save Notre-Dame. With his flamboyant genius he imposed an ideal Gothic style which he supposed had been that of the 13th century cathedral, suppressing all perceived subsequent additions and redesigning all the religious objects and furniture on the interior. To this broad-ranging restoration should be added the work executed by Hausmann which opened up the close in front of the cathedral and remodelled the Ile de la Cité.
Notre-Dame was also consecrated by the Second Empire. On 30 November, 1853, Napoleon III married Eugénie in a building still largely under construction but whose unfinished elements were hidden by the temporary decorations put there specially for the celebration, in the same way as for the coronation of his illustrious uncle. Furthermore, the Prince Imperial was baptised there in 1856. But as for the rebuilding work, it was not until 31 May 1864 that Mgr Darboy, the archbishop of Paris, celebrated the service of dedication which marked its conclusion.
Today, Viollet-le-Duc's restoration is eloquent evidence of the infatuation which scholars and artists had for this monument and symbol of Paris. And every visit to Notre-Dame should include a visit to the small museum dedicated to the history of the building. On display are numerous documents relating to the events mentioned above, but most of all the visitor can view Viollet-le-Duc's magnificent designs. The cathedral Treasury is also worth a visit (itself designed by Viollet-le-Duc), showing as it does the reliquary of the crown of thorns which was offered to Napoleon 1st and sketches by Carpeaux.
Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris
