More than a thousand heritage experts invite the President of the Republic to avoid the "rush" in the restoration of the Notre-Dame cathedral and to avoid the rules of heritage protection, in a forum published on the Figaro site.
"Let's take the time to find the right path"
"Let's not erase the complexity of the thought that must surround this site behind a display of efficiency," say 1,170 conservators, architects and teachers French and foreign in this text posted Sunday, while Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild five years from now, the jewel of Gothic art partially destroyed by a fire two weeks ago. "Let's take the time to find the right path and then, yes, set an ambitious deadline for an exemplary restoration," they argue.
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Derogations that worry the experts
The signatories, among which the conservator of national monuments, Laurent Alberti, criticize the choice of the government to pass for this project by a draft law allowing derogations to the norms of patrimonial protection. The "choices" for the restoration of the monument must be done "with a scrupulous, thoughtful, ethical approach" they add in this podium, entitled "Mr. President, do not divest the heritage experts!".
Several voices in the world of culture, including moderator Stéphane Bern and former Culture Minister Jack Lang, have also expressed concern over these derogations. The Ministry of Culture, for its part, assured that it was "no way to derogate from the fundamental principles of heritage protection". The rules for derogations "are very narrowly delimited" and the explanatory memorandum of the law "specifically targets the legislation applicable to the vicinity of monuments, and not the monuments themselves", he assures.