Learn about the history and post-fire rebuilding of the Cathedral of Notre Dame from art historian Jennifer M. Feltman.

Presented in partnership with UCF Global Perspectives and International Initiatives

On April 15, 2019, fire nearly destroyed the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. In the immediate aftermath, French President Emanuel Macron confidently announced that it would be rebuilt in five years. Soon an ambitious reconstruction campaign involving architects, engineers and artisans was mobilized. At the same time, the French Ministry of Culture supported the request of researchers to study the monument as it was undergoing restoration. Nearly five years later, the reconstruction is nearing completion and researchers continue to make new discoveries about this famous work of Gothic architecture. This lecture by art historian Jennifer M. Feltman will provide insight into the rebuilding process and the major discoveries that have been made over the past five years.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

National Endowment for the Humanities

Collaborative Arts Research Initiative

BIO

Jennifer M. Feltman is associate professor of Medieval Art and Architecture at the University of Alabama. Her research focuses on French Gothic architecture and sculpture. She is a member of the Chantier scientifique de Notre-Dame, a team of scientists and historians authorized by the French Ministry of Culture to study the fire-ravaged cathedral as it is being restored. As part of her contribution to new research on Notre-Dame, she is directing, “Notre-Dame in Color,” a project to investigate, document, and virtually recreate the vibrantly painted sculptures of the Gothic Cathedral of Paris. This work is supported by the FACE Foundation – Transatlantic Research Partnership, a program of the French Embassy in the United States, a 3-year National Endowment for the Humanities Collaborative Research Grant, and the UA Collaborative Arts Initiative. She publishes widely on Gothic architecture and sculpture. Her books include the volume of essays, The North Transept of Reims Cathedral: Design, Construction, and Visual Programs (Routledge, 2016), The Long Lives of Medieval Art and Architecture (Routledge, 2019), co-edited with Sarah Thompson, and Moral Theology and the Cathedral: Sculptural Programs of the Last Judgment in France, c.1200-1240, which is forthcoming from Brepols.

We extend particular gratitude to the staff and administration of Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for their partnership over the past ten years.

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Rebuilding Notre-Dame

BIO

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