Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and Shuri-jô Castle
Reconstruct and Restore their Cultural Value
Beyond the Fire of 2019

We Value Your Privacy

With your permission, we will use cookies* to collect some personal data when you browse our website, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device. The personal data collected by cookies will only be used for delivering our content.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact here.

I accept the cookies I refuse the cookies

*Cookies are small text files including a unique identifier, which are stored to your computer or other device when you visit our website. Cookies can be controlled from the settings within various browsers (e.g.., Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox). Please refer to your browser’s website for the cookie policy and further information on how to opt out of cookies.

PROLOGUE

In 2019, the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and the Shuri-jô Castle were severely damaged by fire.
It was decided to restore them to their condition before the fire.

This decision seems to break with the doctrines of heritage conservation based on material authenticity,
since historical material disappeared in the fire.

However, as we will see, very rigorous analyses have been launched,
and public opinion has come out without hesitation in favor of a return to its pre-fire state.
What will be the consequences on the heritage and societal value of the buildings?

© Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral

It is not the oldest, nor the highest, nor the most spectacular... nor dedicated to the coronation of kings like Reims, nor to pilgrimages like Chartres... However, of all the Gothic cathedrals, it is the most famous.

Shinkosen ( A tribute ship from the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Ming dynasty) © Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

Procession of Chinese envoy to Shuri-jô (Excerpts) © Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

Fengshi Liuqiu Tujuan (Illustrated Scroll of Envoy’s Mission to the Ryukyus, a Part) © Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

Zhong Shan Wangfu Mid-Autumn Banquet from Zhongshan Denshinroku © Naha City Museum of History

Shuri-jô Castle and Sunset © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Shuri-jô

The Ryukyu Archipelago, a string of islands dotting the East China Sea. It is there that a determined and resilient people carved out a life for themselves, located between two great powers, using art to their advantage. And it is Shuri-jô that was once at the heart of this kingdom, which symbolizes the culture and turbulent history of the Ryukyus.

© Benjamin Mouton

© Dany Sandron

© Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

© Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

Room 1
THE LOSS

In 2019, fire destroyed – or very heavily damaged –
these two monuments of great historical and cultural value.
As a result of the fire, and despite rescue efforts,
the heritage value was deeply affected, with irreparable losses.

© Emmanuel Fournier

© Benjamin Mouton

© Philippe Villeneuve

© Benjamin Mouton

© Philippe Villeneuve

© Benjamin Mouton

© Philippe Villeneuve

© Philippe Villeneuve

© Philippe Villeneuve

The disaster

April 15, 2019, 6:18 pm, the fire breaks out, quickly gets out of control despite the work of the firemen; it is brought under control at 10:00 pm, but the damage is considerable.

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office (Shuri-jô Park)

© The Okinawa Times

© Junko Mukai

© The Okinawa Times

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

© Junko Mukai

© Junko Mukai

© Junko Mukai

Fire broke out in the early hours of October 31, 2019. Before dawn the State Hall of Shuri-jô was quickly reduced to embers.

On the day of the Shuri-jô fire,
Major general Jean-Claude Gallet commanding the Paris Fire Brigade sent a letter to the Naha City Fire Department.
In his message he shared his sympathies at the loss of the castle and commended the bravery
and dedication of the fire fighters.

Naha City Fire Department sent a letter of thanks in response,
expressing the department’s continued determination to confront disasters
and also sending prayers for the recovery of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.

Letter from Paris Fire Brigade to Naha Fire Department

 Translation

Letter from Naha Fire Department to Paris Fire Brigade

Room 2
PERMANENCE AND TRANSFORMATION

This is not the first time that these monuments have been damaged.
But each time, the public opinion wished their recovery.
The restorations and reconstructions undertaken have reinforced the cultural values,
which were thus added up and passed on to the following generations.

mid XVth Jean Fouquet © Benjamin Mouton

XVIth Truschet and Hoyau © Benjamin Mouton

XVIIth Israël Silvestre © Benjamin Mouton

XVIIIth Hubert Robert © Benjamin Mouton

1772 Fire at the Hôtel Dieu, Hubert Robert © Benjamin Mouton

From the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century

From 1160 onwards, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris was built in an innovative and skillful type of architecture – Gothic architecture, a concentrate of accomplished constructive and structural mastery.

West facade © MAP

Chevet © MAP

Spire © MAP

South rose © MAP

The great restoration of the 19th century

The birth of public interest in medieval architecture led to the great restoration campaign, from 1844 to 1864, by Lassus and Viollet-le-Duc.

The north belfry bell © Benjamin Mouton

A National Monument and a World Heritage

The bells of Notre-Dame, celebrated by Victor Hugo, rang out the great events of the history of the 20th century, making the cathedral the church of the nation. Today, with the increased circulation of people and images, it transcends national and religious borders and belongs to all of humanity.

Shuri-jô Castle drawing by Kikou Tomoyose, 19th century © Okinawa Prefectural Library CCBY 4.0 (Excerpts)

Shuri-jô Castle and Naha city © Naha City Museum of History

Two sentries of Kumamoto Chindai detached force standing in front of the state hall of Shuri-jô Castle © Naha City Museum of History

Commemorative photo for graduation from Shuri Girls' Polytechnic School © Collection of Ms. Kimiko Omine, Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

After the 10th Army's onslaught against the Japanese positions around Shuri-jô Castle © From "Okinawa as Told by Photographs," Okinawa Prefectural Archives

Establishment, change, and destruction in war

Shuri-jô experienced many changes as a stage for diplomacy and politics. Even after the demise of the Ryukyu Kingdom it was the determination of the people that protected Shuri-jô. However, in 1945 it was a military bombardment that consumed the castle in a crucible of fire.

Roofscapes of Shuri-jô Castle © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Post-war reconstruction work (plastering work on the roof) © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Kohai (a part of roof) © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Post-war reconstruction work (Coloring of a gable) © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

The second floor of the state hall, the royal throne © Junko Mukai

Reconstruction

The postwar reconstruction of Shuri-jô as part of the people’s journey to reclaim “Okinawa.” People diligently searched for materials scattered following the Disposition of the Ryukyus and the Second World War, collected testimonies, and sought to revive skills out of a desire to create something authentic. How can a reconstructed building be more than a full-scale replica?

Materials that miraculously survived
the fierce warfare provided
detailed information for the reconstruction.

Illustration of Shuri-jô Castle © Naha City Museum of History

© Photo Benjamin Mouton

© State (Agency for Cultural Affairs)

Photo by Yoshitaro Kamakura, University Library and Arts Museum, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, Naha City Museum of History

© Jean-Pierre Bazard, Creative Commons

© Plantu, by courtesy of the author

Photo by Yoshitaro Kamakura, University Library and Arts Museum, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts

Photo by Yoshitaro Kamakura, University Library and Arts Museum, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts

© Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

© Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum

THE EVOLUTION OF HERITAGE PRACTICES AND DOCTRINES


Room 3
EMOTIONS AND MEMORIES

And today, what did these destructions represent in the eyes of the populations?
Emotions felt and memories to be kept

© Aline Magnien, LRMH.

A cathedral of emotions

The emotion raised by the fire in the cathedral was considerable and testimonies of support and sadness poured in from all over the world. In France, however, in a context of political tensions, the emotion, far from uniting the nation, very quickly became divisive and a source of controversy.

© The Okinawa Times

An unexpected emotion

It was only when I faced the reality of its loss in the fire that I realized what a cherished place Shuri-jô had in my heart…. This was a sentiment expressed by so many.

© Oscar Ortega, by courtesy of the author

© Marind, Creative Commons.

© The Okinawa Times

© The Okinawa Times

© Ministère de la Culture / Ferrante Ferranti

Between debris, vestiges and relics

The fire is now part of the history of Notre-Dame, integrated into the grand narrative of its monumentality. But what to do with its traces? Between debris, vestiges and relics, the status of the fire's rubble is revealing of the different ways of "making memory" around Notre-Dame de Paris.

Cardboard works by Children's Club © The Ryukyu Shimpo

What is Okinawa?

Then, after sorrow springs a burning question: Just what is “Okinawa”? The values and emotions that people project onto cultural heritage vary from person to person. That is what makes the reconstruction of cultural heritage also a process of mutual understanding.

© Alexis Komenda, C2RMF

© Alexis Komenda, C2RMF

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Room 4
RECONSTRUCTIONS and AUTHENTICITY

The identical reconstruction is an implicit recognition of the heritage,
which engages a technical challenge mobilizing traditional and
modern knowledge and which opens the debate on authenticity.

XII°s © Benjamin Mouton

XIII°s © Benjamin Mouton

XIV°s © Benjamin Mouton

XVIII° © Benjamin Mouton

XIX°s © Benjamin Mouton

XX° © Benjamin Mouton

XX°s. © Benjamin Mouton

Authenticity, authenticities

Is authenticity in the form and the "historical" material that must be protected? Or is it in the durability of uses and know-how? Since Antiquity, authenticity has been a subject of research and debate, which the current doctrinal arsenal has not exhausted.

© National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Continuing the search for authenticity

After the post-war reconstruction, the challenge of further exploring authenticity of form and material continued. The State Hall that will be reconstructed from now will also become a major experimental site that reflects the outcomes of ongoing researches.

The Chevet of the cathedral undergoing work © Alexis Komenda, C2RMF.

The site team poses in front of the exhibition that covers the safety fences and highlights the know-how of the workers and companions. © Alexis Komenda, C2RMF.

At the beginning of the security work, the adjustment of the centrings that support the buttresses. © Alexis Komenda, C2RMF.

La Croix 10-July 2020 ,photo by Benjamin Mouton

© Benjamin Mouton

© Agathe de Maupeou

© Phillppe Villeneuve

Notre-Dame of tomorrow

By rebuilding it identically, and by the know-how implemented, the cathedral will regain its material integrity and its central place in the heart of the city. But it is also important to give it back the intangible and sensory qualities that are so precious to its visitors, such as its sound and light environments.

© Junko Mukai

© Junko Mukai

© Junko Mukai

Urgent repair of Hoshinmon Gate © Junko Mukai

Urgent repair of Hoshinmon Gate © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Urgent Repair of Hoshinmon Gate © National Okinawa Memorial Park Office, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office

Shuri-jô as a link to the future

Twenty-seven years on from the post-war reconstruction. Will the State Hall that is to be newly reconstructed become symbolic of the spirit of Okinawa? Will it become a site for Okinawa, Japan and the world?

EPILOGUE
TOWARDS THE FUTURE

Shuri-jô and Notre-Dame de Paris: two modern examples

Thanks to the studies, research and analyses that have reached the highest degree of knowledge, thanks to the exceptional contributions of workers, companions, architects, scientists, and public support, Notre-Dame de Paris and Shuri-jô, will overcome their deep wounds, and can hope for the rebirth of their integrity.

The faithful reconstruction of the missing parts is now possible: their restoration will not be a "copy" in the sense of "falsification" of the monument, but the exact restitution of a decisive part of their authenticity.

This is a major qualitative evolution in heritage conservation. To refuse it would be a profound criticism on the monuments and a culpable confiscation of the populations of the whole world who have adopted and desired it.

Thus, it can be said that Notre-Dame de Paris and Shuri-jô make a significant contribution to the doctrinal evolution of heritage conservation and the major role of intangible values alongside material values.

General Editor

   

Toshiyuki Kono

Executive Vice-president, Distinguished Professor, Kyushu University

Scientific Committee

   

Toshiyuki Kono

 

Junko Mukai

Architect & Cultural Heritage specialist, Former Principal Heritage Architect/ Deputy Chief Architect of Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutan

Jean-François Lagneau

Chief Architect of Historic Monuments, Honorary General Inspector of Historic Monuments, Former President of ICOMOS France

Benjamin Mouton

Chief Architect of Historic Monuments, Honorary General Inspector of Historic Monuments, Former Conservation Architect in charge of Notre-Dame de Paris, Former President of ICOMOS France

Dany Sandron

Professor of Art History and Archaeology of the Middle Ages of the Sorbonne University (André Chastel Center)

Gaspard Salatko

Postdoctoral fellow at the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine, Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Dominique Schneider

Former Secretary General of ICOMOS France

Claudie Voisenat

Research engineer, Héritages (CNRS, MC, CYU), Lecturer at à l’Ecole du Louvre, Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Contents Creator

   

Toshiyuki Kono

 

Junko Mukai

 

Benjamin Mouton

 

Jean-François Lagneau

 

Dany Sandron

 

Dominique Schneider

 

Claudie Voisenat

 

Gaspard Salatko

 

Aurélia Azéma

Engineer of studies, Research Laboratory of Historical Monuments (LRMH) CRC USR 3224 Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Florence Babics

Architect of the heritage, teacher at the school of Chaillot, former vice-president at ICOMOS France

Ewan Barcelo

Doctrant Aix-Marseille University, Institute of Mediterranean, European and Comparative Ethnology (CNRS) Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Dorothée Chaoui-Dérieux

Chief heritage curator, DRAC Ile-de-France regional service in archaeology, ArScAn UMR 7041 Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Isabelle Chave

Deputy Director of Historic Monuments and Heritage Sites, Service in the Heritage. General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture (the Ministry of Culture)

Véronique Dassié

CNRS researcher, Héritages UMR 9022 (CYU, CNRS, MC) Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Clara Delettre

Student at the Ecole du Louvre, laboratory of Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Nocolas Fiquet

Master student - Ecole du Louvre « Arts Literatures Langages » (EHSS)
Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Clément Gaesler

Graduate of the Ecole du Louvre, Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Dorian Haudoin

Student at the Ecole du Louvre, laboratory of Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Maxime L’Héritier

Lecturer at University Paris 8, ArScAn UMR7041
Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Brian FG Katz

Director of Research CNRS – Sorbonne University, Institute d’Alembert, Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Claudie Loisel

Research Engineer in charge of the Stained-Glass Section of the Historic Monuments Research Laboratory (LRMH), Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Martine Monferran

Research fellow - Héritages (CNRS, MC, CYU), Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Yann Potin

Charge of documentary studies - National Archives. Associate Professor in History of Law, University of Paris-Nord, Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Vianney Rochet

Student at the Ecole du Louvre, laboratory of Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Sylvie Sagnes

CNRS researcher Héritages UMR 9022 (CYU, CNRS, MC)
Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Delphine Syvilay

Research Laboratory for Historical Monuments (LRMH), Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Jonathan Truillet

Deputy Director of Operations of the Public Institution in charge of the Conservation and Restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris

Jun Zhang

Master student, Heritage and Museums (University Paris I), Scientific Workshop Notre-Dame de Paris

Trevor H.J. Marchand

Professor, SOAS

Loughlin Kealy

Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University College Dublin
Solène Hazouard, Scientific manager -  Héritages (CNRS, MC, CYU).

Solène Hazouard

Scientific manager - Héritages (CNRS, MC, CYU).

Web Producer

   

Akemi Kimura

 

This exhibition was made possible through the financial support of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
"Topic-Setting Program to Advance Cutting-Edge Humanities and Social Sciences Research"
and Kyushu University.