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Conservative Backlash Erupts Over Notre Dame’s Restoration

Plans to refurbish the interior of the Paris landmark have landed the medieval cathedral in the middle of a modern culture war. 

The nave of Notre-Dame under renovation in June, two years after the cathedral was ravaged by a fire. 

The nave of Notre-Dame under renovation in June, two years after the cathedral was ravaged by a fire. 

Photographer: Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

Reading recent shocked coverage of the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, severely damaged by fire in 2019, you might assume that the plan is to knock the whole cathedral down and start afresh. 

After two years of preparation, a plan to repair the church’s interior has been given provisional approval by a panel of experts last week. Several layout changes are anticipated, including different visitor circulation patterns, lighting and seating improvements and the addition of new artworks.