Surprising & Modern Changes to Notre Dame Since the Fire

Last Updated on 6th February 2025 by Sophie Nadeau

This post may contain affiliate links. Please check out my privacy policy and disclosure for more information.

Notre Dame is one of the most famous buildings in Paris if not the world. Built during the Middle Ages by people who knew that they would never get to see its completion and yet believed fully in the project, this gorgeous masterpiece is the beating heart of Paris and sits on the very spot where the city was first founded several millennia ago.

Contents

A brief overview of Notre Dame’s illustrious history
Highlights of Notre Dame
Changes to Notre Dame since the fire
Watch my travel video

A brief overview of Notre Dame’s illustrious history

The cathedral dates all the way back to 1163 when it was founded by Bishop Maurice de Sully. Constructed on the same site as a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter, the church is of such architectural importance that it inspired the blueprint for churches all over Europe in the centuries that followed.

Like most cathedrals in France, the shape of Notre Dame is based around a Latin Cross and the most important part of the church is the nave. Back in the 12th-century it was an impressive feat of medieval engineering and all of the most modern techniques were used to create this gothic masterpiece.

In fact, so complex were some aspects, such as the doors, that local legends suggested that the Devil had a hand in crafting them.

In April of 2019 people around the world watched in horror as the cathedral burned. Flames enveloped the night sky and centuries of history were burnt to a crisp in a matter of moments. What followed was an intensive fiver-year restoration plan and, as of December 2024, Notre Dame is once more open to the public.

In this guide, I’ll run through the many changes that Notre Dame has undergone in that time frame. When we’re through, you’ll see that what the workers who have renovated the church have achieved in just five years is truly astounding and is a true testament to their skill and craftsmanship.

Highlights of Notre Dame

Pulpit– The pulpit was created in 1868 based on designs by Viollet le Duc, the very same man who transformed Mont Saint Michel and Carcassonne into the monuments you see today.
Altar– The altar area is inaccessible to the public but can still be admired from afar and, most interestingly, there is a brand new modern altar piece to mark the new chapter of Notre dame. This contemporary piece was designed by artist Guillaume Bardet
Organ – While wandering along the nave, don’t forget to look back and look up to marvel at the largest organ in France. The grand organ actually managed to survive the fire with minor damage and only one pipe sustained water damage.
Chapels – Notre dame has 29 chapels which were added in the 13th century and surround the interior of the building.
The Tympanum – This is the semi circular decorative face above the entrance to Notre Dame and would have been useful in depicting important stories from the Bible back in the Middle Ages when the majority of people couldn’t read. The central portal represents scenes from the Last Judgement in the form of a triptych.

Changes to Notre Dame since the fire

It’s worth noting that it took 200 years to build Notre Dame and so it will take more than just five years of restoration to return the cathedral to its former glory. The exterior is largely still under scaffolding and parts of the interior are also still being worked on.

Even when you visit today you’ll probably spy tools scattered about and artisans finalising their work.

Deep cleaning

It’s amazing what a little bit of deep cleaning can do to change the façade of a place! Many critics of the renovation state that the new cathedral is ‘too bright,’ but a large reason for this (setting aside the fact that a new state-of-the-art lighting system is in place), is the cleaning of the stone work which has been transformed from a drab grey to a creamy shade of beige.

One of my favourite aspects of the cathedral post-clean is being able to check out the north and south walls of the choir. The south wall of the choir enclosure is not only decorative but creates a wall of silence for services held within the choir area.

Beautiful painted carvings on the screen depict apparitions of Christ following his resurrection and show scenes from Easter Day all the way to his ascension.

Restoration of the original paintings and stonework

The intense deep deep clean of the cathedral means that details that were once covered by centuries of soot and atmospheric changes have now been revealed, meaning that you can see facial expressions on the carvings and make out background details of the more ornate paintings.

One of the biggest changes to the cathedral, even to the untrained eye such as myself, is the vibrancy of the colours. The chapels closest to the altar are known as the ‘radiating chapels‘ and these now seem to radiate warmth and colour.

Some of the restoration work includes:

Repaired ceilings- the fire actually caused parts of the ceiling to come crashing down
Repaired stained-glass windows- many of the windows were covered in soot but were miraculously saved from the flames themselves. Controversially, some stained glass windows will not be returned to their original positions but will instead be replaced by contemporary pieces.
Repaired wrought-iron railings- many of the railings melted or distorted during the fire and so have since been repaired or replaced.

Modern touches

One thing that might shock or surprise you is the sheer number of modern touches which have been aded to the cathedral.

This is definitely something that isn’t necessarily appreciated by everyone, but has modernised the cathedral, ensuring that it will serve generations of worshippers for the centuries to come. This includes new fire prevention equipment, designed to blend in with the stone behind it and a speaker system that renders services clearer than ever.

One of the newer and more controversial additions to the cathedral is this four metre high reliquary built to house the Crown of Thorns. It’s ultra modern and consists of a halo of glass pebbles, which are embedded in a cedar-wood panel.

Watch my travel video

Curious to find out more about the renovations of Notre Dame? I filmed a full 4K documentary on the first day of opening to the public of the Cathedral as I was lucky enough to secure tickets (due to huge interest in visiting the cathedral by the public, the church was only accessible via timed tickets for the first two weeks of its opening).