In 2019, the reconstruction of the framework of Notre Dame de Paris “identically” with the unique fabrics and their implementation is gifted as a technical, ancient, and from time to time mystical necessity. Then again, this angle, fairly contemporary, merits to be wondered as a cultural incontrovertible fact that calls into query the perspective of our societies in opposition to their historical past.
Construction at the challenge entrusted to it through the state within the 1830s, the Ancient Monuments Carrier has been the only guarantor of the nationwide heritage for nearly 100 and fifty years.
Confronted with the devastation of the Nice Battle, he established the doctrine of reconstruction of destroyed structures or portions of structures that had been occupied after the 2d Global Battle and remained unchanged till the mid-Nineties. It used to be no longer about remaking the monuments “identical” to what they had been sooner than the catastrophe, however about restoring them to their authentic look whilst bettering the triple perspective, technical, archaeological and creative.
The frames, as an example, had been re-embedded in bolstered concrete for causes of financial system, ease of upkeep and hearth resistance. The fabric may also be used to make stronger risky constructions or to switch a standard wall at a lower price. In Rouen, the massive picket vault of the prosecutor’s room within the courthouse, burnt down in March 1944, has been restored in look because of a skinny veil of bolstered concrete supporting each the interior picket paneling and the outer cladding of thick slates. The alternate associated with all the construction of the development: because of the thrust of the brand new vault, 3 times heavier than the outdated one, it used to be vital to toughen the principles and drill in the course of the thickness of the partitions to be able to set up steel anchors that attach the vault, intermediate concrete flooring and foundations.
Discovering the “reference” state
Archaeologically, it used to be commonplace to take away parts deemed inappropriate, particularly the ones from the Nineteenth century, a devalued duration of artwork historical past. The purpose used to be to discover a reference state, frequently the oldest recognized. For instance, for the reconstruction of the Carignan (Ardennes) church destroyed in 1940, the executive architect Yves-Marie Froidevauk determined to go back to its 1681 state through changing the Nineteenth-century stone porch with a classical-style belfry.
The politics of advent
After all, the remaining enchancment involved the world of advent. If repetitive ornamental parts (cornices, balustrades, geometric or plant embellishes, mouldings) had been remade as they had been sooner than the catastrophe, this used to be usually no longer the case for distinctive inventive parts, reminiscent of sculpted tympanums, capitals, stained glass home windows, furnishings. Their substitute used to be then a chance to ask fresh creators.
All the way through the primary reconstruction, the artists had been ordered to switch the destroyed furnishings parts on a case-by-case foundation. All the way through the second one, the Ancient Monuments Carrier noticed the destruction as a chance to expand a coverage of constructing historical monuments, particularly within the box of stained glass. The intervention used to be no longer most effective restorative: gadgets from the Nineteenth century and stained glass, that have been thought to be irrelevant, had been frequently got rid of, broken or no longer, in want of recent creations. The order used to be in keeping with a company idea: the purpose used to be to create a category of artisans specialised in interventions within the heritage setting. It used to be no longer till 1955 that commissions started to be opened for artists who weren’t grasp glassmakers, reminiscent of Jacques Villon (in Metz) or Marc Chagall (in Reims).
The remaining interventions at the monuments broken within the 2d Global Battle date from the mid-eighties of the remaining century. In Rouen, the tower of Saint-Romain Cathedral used to be rebuilt in 1984 with a bolstered concrete body.
Undisputed, reconstruction-improvement implemented to all varieties of interventions, post-disaster or no longer: the reconstitution of the attic of the Parliament of Brittany in Rennes after the hearth of 1994, the recovery of the fortress of Falaise (Calvados) in 1997 (Morbihan Suscinio).
New reconstruction practices
However within the mid-Nineties, new (re)building practices gave the impression, outdoor the scope of the ancient monuments carrier. The interventions had been impressed through the strategies of experimental archeology that sought to higher perceive the unique artifacts in the course of the replica of an artistic gesture. In Saint-Silvain-d’Anjou, an affiliation introduced through the city’s mayor restored a 1000-year-old picket fortress a couple of steps from its authentic web site to open it to guests. In 1992, the reconstruction of the frigate Hermione started in Rochefort with a twin objective. It used to be no longer most effective about refurbishing an object with memorial and heritage worth, but in addition about putting in place its manufacturing inside of a undertaking this is open to the general public.
The development of the (imaginary) Gedelon fortress, which started in 1997, used to be in keeping with the similar technique, however with an extra requirement within the box of archeology of fabrics and gestures. The purpose used to be to search out wisdom and fabrics that correspond to the reference duration that used to be selected. The distraction of the current is eradicated for science, but in addition for spectacle, as an example with staff wearing medieval costumes.
The legacy of the spectacle already existed: the primary sound and lightweight happened in Chambord in 1950 with world luck and more than one avatars over the years, reminiscent of that of Puy-du-Foy. Guedelon added a systematic size and his luck testified to the intensity of public expectancies, that have been no longer simply leisure shoppers.
The present building websites for the frames of the Paris cathedral and the tower of the abbey church of Saint-Denis are a continuation of this reversal of observe begun within the Nineties. The 3-fold enchancment that characterised the reconstructions after the 2 global wars has evaporated. Depreciated, trendy ways are thought to be irrelevant on the very second when their centuries-old use may have demonstrated their financial and structural relevance.
As for ingenious enchancment, it now turns out anachronistic, as proven through the lawsuit towards the insertion of recent stained glass in Notre Dame de Paris on the behest of the President of the Republic. Making use of the teachings of Rochefort and Guedelon, two Parisian initiatives mix science and spectacle. It’s as a lot about rediscovering the outdated glance as it’s about securing the outdated gesture and fabrics, beneath the gaze of the general public who’re invited to observe the development of the works, at the spot (in Saint-Denis) or with a lengthen (in Paris) in the course of the media. After all, the industrial stability is ensured in the similar approach, with donations and source of revenue from the display’s website online.
Has the reconstruction of all or a part of the misplaced heritage discovered a brand new starting? The legacy of the spectacle, which could also be a systematic heritage, has discovered its target audience, but it surely most effective refers back to the iconic structures of nationwide historical past. Possibly it marks the top of this heritage enlargement that used to be condemned through professionals within the Nineties, from the historian Françoise Choa, who noticed it as an indication of “collective narcissism”, to the director of structure and heritage Francois Barre who nervous concerning the misuse of heritage. Finally, heritage-spectacle-and-science can now be established as the logo of the cultural heritage space of the 2020s.
This newsletter used to be printed as a part of the collection “Crossed Perspectives: Culture, Research and Society”, printed with the toughen of the Common Delegation for Switch, Territories and Cultural Democracy of the Ministry of Tradition.
