The decision to replace several historic stained glass windows in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has opened a new phase of heritage controversy in France. The official publication of the authorization to remove six 19th-century windows has led to a legal battle driven by heritage defense associations.
The notice authorizing the removal of the stained glass windows designed in the context of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s restoration was posted in the cathedral between April 17 and 20, according to La Tribune de l’Art. This administrative step now allows for an appeal of the decision within the legal two-month period.
Likewise, the “Sites et Monuments” association has announced that it will file a lawsuit against the authorization for the works. The entity considers that the intervention does not constitute a restoration, but rather a modification of historical elements that were not damaged by the 2019 fire.
A project to replace 19th-century stained glass with contemporary art
The plan calls for removing six stained glass windows located in the chapels on the south side of the nave and replacing them with contemporary works by French artist Claire Tabouret, in collaboration with the Simon Marq workshop. The project, with an approximate budget of four million euros, aims to leave a “21st-century footprint” in the cathedral.
The stained glass windows to be removed survived the 2019 fire intact, were subsequently cleaned or restored, and are part of Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century intervention, considered essential to the current configuration of Notre Dame.
A second legal battle for the cathedral
In November 2025, the Paris Administrative Court dismissed in the first instance a claim by “Sites et Monuments” that questioned the legitimacy of the public body in charge of Notre Dame’s reconstruction to act as responsible for this intervention.
The association argues that the entity created for the cathedral’s reconstruction has the mission to preserve and restore the temple, not to replace undamaged heritage elements. That first case remains on appeal, while the new claim is directed directly against the authorization to remove the stained glass windows.
Criticism for altering protected elements
Critics of the project argue that the stained glass windows are protected as a Historic Monument and that their removal would violate the spirit of French heritage legislation. In their view, replacing well-preserved historical pieces cannot be justified as restoration.
They also recall that France’s National Heritage and Architecture Commission issued an unfavorable report on the project in July 2024, although the intervention has proceeded.
More than 335,000 signatures against the removal
Social opposition has also been significant. The petition “Let us preserve the Viollet-le-Duc stained glass windows in Notre-Dame de Paris”, promoted by La Tribune de l’Art and supported by “Sites et Monuments,” has already gathered more than 335,000 signatures.
From the association, they assure that even if the legal challenges do not succeed and the stained glass windows are removed, they will continue to demand the reversal of the intervention and the restoration of the state conceived by Viollet-le-Duc.
Notre Dame, between restoration and contemporary intervention
Notre Dame was rebuilt with donations from around the world following the 2019 fire. For critics, replacing historic stained glass windows that survived the flames does not represent a restoration, but an unnecessary intervention on a relevant part of the cathedral’s current identity.
The final decision now rests with the administrative justice system, which will have to determine whether the removal of the stained glass windows complies with the legal framework for the protection of French historical heritage.