330,000 Rise Up Against Macron's Plan to Desecrate Notre Dame With Modern Art
Over 330,000 people signed a petition opposing French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to replace historic stained glass windows at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with contemporary designs by artist Claire Tabouret.
The petition launched by La Tribune de l'Art denounces Macron's decision to alter the 19th century windows created by architect Eugène Viollet le Duc, which survived the 2019 fire that devastated the cathedral.
"The president of the republic has decided on his own, without any regard for the heritage law or Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, to replace the stained glass windows," the petition states. "How can it be justified to restore stained glass windows that survived the disaster and then immediately remove them? Who gave the head of state a mandate to alter a cathedral that does not belong to him, but to everyone?"
Notre Dame reopened to the public in December 2024 following extensive reconstruction after the April 2019 fire, the cause of which remains undetermined although authorities ruled out arson or deliberate attack. The original 19th century stained glass windows were undamaged in the fire.
Despite this, Macron made it a personal mission to replace the windows with Tabouret's designs depicting Pentecost events.
The Catholic Church authorities and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich support the multimillion euro project.
Tabouret's work went on display at the Grand Palais and is scheduled for installation in the cathedral in 2026.
The artist told Radio France she wants to give the public the chance to form their own opinion, stating that when there's controversy there are also many rumors. Macron has advocated for years for a contemporary gesture and making a 21st century mark on Notre Dame in its restoration, despite opposition from bodies like the National Heritage and Architecture Commission.
The petition has gathered over 330,900 signatures opposing the planned changes. Macron has not yet commented on the petition. The French president's push to modernize the historic cathedral continues despite significant public backlash and concerns from heritage preservation organizations about altering a structure that represents centuries of Christian worship and French cultural identity.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Take what's ancient, what's holy, what connects generations to their faith and their fathers, and modernize it. Update it. Make it relevant. Slap some contemporary art on an 800 year old house of God because the old stuff just isn't progressive enough. Notre Dame doesn't belong to Macron. It belongs to Christ. It belongs to the faithful who built it stone by stone, who prayed there for centuries, who died defending Christian France.
Three hundred thirty thousand people signed a petition telling Macron to keep his hands off. He doesn't care. Neither does the Archbishop of Paris, who should be defending sacred space instead of enabling its desecration. This is what happens when church leaders care more about pleasing politicians than protecting what they've been entrusted to guard.
The windows survived a fire that destroyed the roof. Now they face something worse: bureaucrats and artists who think Christian heritage needs their improvement. It doesn't. Leave it alone. Restore what was lost. Preserve what survived. Stop using cathedrals as canvases for your ego.
TAKE ACTION
• Sign the Petition: Go to change.org and search "preserve Viollet le Duc stained glass windows Notre Dame" to add your signature opposing Macron's alterations to the historic cathedral • Contact French Embassy: Email or call your nation's French embassy demanding they communicate public opposition to desecrating Notre Dame's historic windows that survived the 2019 fire • Support La Tribune de l'Art: Visit tribunedelart.com to support the organization leading the fight to preserve Notre Dame's authentic heritage against government interference • Share This Story: Post about Notre Dame on social media using hashtags about protecting Christian heritage, tagging French officials and the Archbishop of Paris demanding they listen to 330,000 voices • Pray for Notre Dame: Intercede for the cathedral, that those making decisions would honor its sacred purpose and Christian history rather than treating it as a monument to modernist vanity
Your Action: Make noise. Macron thinks 330,000 signatures don't matter. Prove him wrong. Share this everywhere. Tag French politicians. Flood their offices. Demand they protect Christian heritage instead of using it as a canvas for contemporary art. Notre Dame stood for 860 years. It doesn't need Macron's mark. It needs to remain what it's always been: a house of God.
