Located at the crossing of the transept, the liturgical space of Notre-Dame de Paris’ cathedral changed a lot these last few years.
It’s the vault right above the altar that collapsed under the weight of the framework during the fire of April 2019, thus leaving a pile of debris in the center of the building. Nonetheless, the Virgin and Child statue, to the right of the altar, emerged unscathed from the tragedy. In the early morning light, Mary and Jesus stood among the rubble, without a scratch, like a miracle.
During the restoration, it was decided to renew the liturgical furnishings. The commission was made from Guillaume Bardet who designed five new objects : the cathedra, bishop’s seat, the altar, in the shape of a reversed vault, the ambo, kind of stand where the Bible is read during the mass, and two others elements not visible on this picture, the baptistery at the entrance of the nave, and the tabernacle keeping the consecrated wafers at the back of the choir.