Criticism over the celebration of Nuit Blanche in several churches in Paris has not ceased after the weekend. What began as a controversy over the appointment of Barbara Butch as artistic director of the event has turned into a broader debate about the use of Catholic churches for cultural activities unrelated to worship and about the responsibility of the Diocese of Paris in authorizing certain installations.
According to various French media outlets, several churches and chapels in the capital hosted immersive experiences, sound installations, and artistic proposals during the 2026 edition of Nuit Blanche that are incompatible with the sacred character of the places where they were presented.
Published by: @tribuchretienne
From the Olympic controversy to Nuit Blanche
Barbara Butch was not an unknown figure when the City of Paris selected her to artistically direct the 25th edition of Nuit Blanche.
Her name became associated with the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, whose controversial representation inspired by the Last Supper provoked a wave of criticism among millions of Christians worldwide. Two years later, the Paris City Council entrusted her with the direction of an event endowed with a budget of 1.3 million euros in public funds.
Created in 2002 under the mayoralty of Bertrand Delanoë, Nuit Blanche was born as a large nighttime celebration of contemporary art open to the entire city. Each year, museums, squares, historic buildings, and heritage sites become venues for exhibitions, concerts, installations, and artistic performances. However, the 2026 edition, held on June 6 and 7, included the use of Catholic churches as spaces for artistic experimentation.
A church turned into a sound laboratory
One of the main focal points of the controversy was the church of Saint-Laurent, in Paris’s 10th district.
There, Sous la peau du ciel (“Under the Skin of the Sky”), an installation by artist Marie-Luce Nadal based on text messages sent by people from different parts of the world, was presented. Participants were invited to share personal wishes, longings, and requests, which were later mixed with atmospheric sounds and digital treatments to create an immersive experience.
The proposal was presented as a kind of “invisible membrane” between human hearts and the atmosphere. Ultimately, the project transformed the church into a space of diffuse spirituality far removed from the Christian faith.
During the visit, numerous speakers distributed voices and messages throughout the side chapels, near the altars, the baptistery, and even inside the confessionals. Some visitors publicly expressed their bewilderment at an atmosphere they considered a sensory experience very distant from a place of prayer.
Masks inspired by voodoo inside a chapel
Another installation that sparked controversy was Jungle haletante, by artist Stéphane Blanquet, presented in the chapel of Tenon Hospital.
The work included masks and objects inspired by voodoo imagery accompanied by whispers, breaths, creaks, and metallic sounds. The artist himself described the experience as an exploration of an unstable perception of reality with an almost hypnotic dimension.
Saint-Eustache, Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux, Saint-Denys-du-Saint-Sacrement, Notre-Dame-de-l’Espérance, the Saint-Louis chapel of the Salpêtrière, or the Chapelle expiatoire were among the other churches included in the event’s official program.
Protests and tension outside Saint-Laurent
The controversy also spread to the doors of the church of Saint-Laurent.
According to various media reports, members and sympathizers of Civitas International took part in a protest on Saturday against the installations developed in several Parisian churches. The organization had previously denounced that some of the proposals constituted a deviation from the proper purpose of churches and called for mobilization against what it described as sacrileges.
According to the City of Paris, the protesters attempted to prevent the church from opening to the public. The mayor of the 10th district, Alexandra Cordebard, later claimed she had been pushed while trying to enter the building and announced she would file a complaint.
The participants in the protest, for their part, maintain that they held a public prayer in front of the church to express their rejection of the scheduled activity. The police eventually intervened to ensure access to the church and allow the installation to proceed.
The question now directed at the diocese
Beyond the protests and the figure of Barbara Butch, the focus of criticism has shifted toward the Diocese of Paris.
Although most Parisian churches have belonged legally to the City Council since the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State, they continue to be used for Catholic worship. This situation gives ecclesiastical authorities and parish priests jurisdiction over the use of the buildings.
Canon 1210 of the Code of Canon Law states that only what serves worship, piety, and religion may be admitted in a sacred place.
Does the diocese consider that these installations respect the sacred character of the churches? And, if so, what criteria were applied to reach that conclusion?
To date, no detailed response from the Diocese of Paris to these questions has been recorded.