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The cool new kid on the block?

Posted by (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on

Here’s a link to a story that Notre Dame will reopen in December 2024 for tourists and prior to that, there will be a virtual reality exhibition about the history of the cathedral nearby so at least there will be something for tourists coming to the Olympics next year. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/notre-dame-reopen-2024-1.6769768

I visited Paris for the first time about a month after the fire, so I’ve only seen it from a distance behind a fence. I’ll admit, the only reason it was on my list then, or now is because it’s famous. My only goal has been to get a photo of that iconic view with the Eiffel Tower in the distance and the gargoyle in the foreground. I want to see it, but I’m no more motivated now than I was before. But in a world of 24-hour media and influencers, I wonder if it will receive a whole new trending crowd that wouldn’t have given it a 2nd thought previously?

Grab your crystal ball and share your thoughts, can it get any more famous, or is Notre Dame to become the cool new kid on the block?

Posted by
4853 posts

Not to be a naysayer, ND is a great church but guess what, France (and the rest of Europe for that matter) is full of churches and many of them also offer great experiences. And they're not nearly as crowded or overloved.

I just hate to see so much focus on ND when there are other churches that also need help, they just don't happen to be in the heart of Paris.

Posted by
4584 posts

By "gargoyle"I assume you mean the grotesques.

You may be correct. I haven't paid attention if the one I'm picturing in my mind is a gargoyle or a grotesques.

Posted by
4584 posts

I just hate to see so much focus on ND when there are other churches
that also need help, they just don't happen to be in the heart of
Paris.

I did wonder during that period after the fire how non-Parisians felt, when money was pouring in and proclamations were made that it would be rebuilt just as it was. During our RS tour that Spring, our guide made a point not to think Paris represents all of France. Paris is a glory hound and gets deserved attention, but at times one wonders if it is at the expense of the rest of the country. Like the Mona Lisa, is Notre Dame famous for being famous?

Posted by
1053 posts

I've visited ND several times--the last time, just a week before the fire. I first went because it was "the thing to do" but I returned for the rose windows. I do regret that I have never climbed to the top due to the long lines. I might go back just for that, my psychological rapprochement. When ND reopens it will be "the EVENT". I like celebrations. However, I probably won't return--or I might. I love ND from behind--it's those flying buttresses that never fail to impress me. (Also, I want to see where The Paris Murders is filmed with that killer view of ND's flying buttresses.)

I was more impressed by Sacre Coeur from the inside, btw.

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