Westminster Abbey to be UK host for world tour of Notre Dame de Paris exhibition
Notre Dame de Paris, The Augmented Exhibition will reveal the story of the French gothic masterpiece, Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) from its earliest origins in the 12th century and its illustrious 850-year history to its painstaking restoration following the devastating fire of 2019.
The exhibition has been created by digital heritage specialists, Histovery, in collaboration with Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris, and is supported by L’Oréal Groupe.
Already seen by 300,000 visitors worldwide including in Paris, Washington, Montreal and Dubai, tickets have just gone on sale for the exhibition in Westminster Abbey’s 13th-century Chapter House, another famous and iconic masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
The exhibition will take visitors on an interactive journey through Notre Dame’s past including the lavish wedding of King Henri IV, the glittering coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the 19th century construction of Notre-Dame’s iconic spire of Viollet-le-Duc, which was tragically destroyed by the fire.
The skill, artistry and vision over the ages of its architects, craftsmen and builders, and the 21stcentury experts who are bringing it back to its former glory will be brought to life in the show.
Visitors to the exhibition will be issued a HistoPad™—a portable, touch-screen tablet developed by Histovery that will serve as their portal to key moments in Notre-Dame’s history and restoration. The intuitive device’s technology is accessible to visitors of all ages and levels of technological savvy. Its narrative is presented in 13 languages and is supplemented by a virtual treasure hunt for children and an onboard selfie studio.
The HistoPad™ tour through Notre-Dame’s history takes place in galleries designed to envelop the visitor in a multi-sensory experience—including audio of the cathedral’s organ and tolling bells, a full-size replica of one of its famed chimera statues, and a projection of one of Notre-Dame’s iconic rose windows, which survived the fire.
Notre Dame de Paris, The Augmented Exhibition will be part of Fraternité, a spring season of events at Westminster Abbey celebrating the links between the UK and France with music, talks and events.
Notre Dame is due to reopen again after restoration work at the end of 2024. Just last week the Archbishop of Paris blessed a new rooster weathervane before it was hoisted into place on top of the restored spire.
The original weathervane was recovered from the debris following the fire but was damaged beyond repair.
The rooster, which is a national symbol in France, is made of golden copper and its installation last week marks a sign that the spire is almost completely restored ahead of the cathedral’s planned re-opening.
The Exhibition runs from 7 February- 12 June 2024
and is included with full-price Abbey entry:
Adults: £29.00 Concessions: £26.00
Timed booking slots must be booked here.
