Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral houses many paintings. They are large canvases commissioned by the goldsmiths’ guild between 1630 and 1707 and offered each 1st of May to the cathedral in devotion to Mary, the month of may being associated to her. We call them Mays of Notre-Dame. They represent episodes of Jesus’ life and Acts of the Apostles. The precise theme was chosen in consultation with the canons.
Nowadays, only 51 out of the 76 commissioned mays remain. In the 19th century, it was decided that Notre-Dame would only keep 12 canvases. The others were scattered in museums and churches all over France. The paintings, made by young artists from the Royal Academy for Painting and Sculpture, provided high public visibility and marked a great time of their career.
The depicted scenes, often little-known to the faithful, contributed to visitors’ biblical education.