Where are the spire’s statues. Shouldn’t they be gracing the four corners of Notre-Dame de Paris’ spire? The location of the statutes for Notre Dame de Paris’ spire has been the best guarded secret. It is also a remnant of the pandemic. Reading an article in the daily newspaper, Le Parisien, I found out how I could see the statues face-to-face (almost). They are very tall!. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The temporary exhibit continues at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Trocadero/Palais de Chaillot until the Spring 2025 when they return to the spire.
Since 2020, the statues of the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris have been preserved. They are kept at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris Palais de Chaillot (Trocadéro).
They were moved to the museum after removal from the spire on April 11, 2019. This was four days before the fire. Then they went to SOCRA in Périgueux for repair. Once they were repaired, they returned little by little to the medieval section of the museum on the ground floor. They will stay at the museum until their return to the spire planned for the Spring of 2025.
Your Last Chance
This is your last and only chance to see the statues face-to-face in your lifetime. The statues will tower over you. Each statue is 3,50m (11.5 ft) high and weighs 150kg (330 lb).
The head alone weighs 75 kg (165 lb). The sculptures representing the evangelists weigh 75 kg (165 lb) and are 2 m (78 in) high. Their thin copper sheets are 5 mm (less than ¼ in) thick, riveted and bolted on a metal frame.
I was most fascinated by the posture of the Saint Jude statue. It is as if he were performing a ballet and wearing ballet slippers. Perhaps he is trying to balance himself and does not hold any symbol.
Some Trivia Ideas
- Each apostle holds a symbol of their story, except Saint Jude.
- The apostles seem to be barefoot except for Saint Thomas=Viollet-Le-Duc and Saint Jude.
- Viollet-Le-Duc is not the only one looking up toward the top of the spire. The Evangelist symbols: angel, eagle, ox and lion are looking upward.
- Where did Viollet-Le-Duc sign his work? On the ruler he holds. Look level to the ruler with his initials and last name.
- How many spires have topped Notre-Dame de Paris? Three. The first was built between 1220 and 1230. The second was from the 1859 restoration and topped with the symbolic national rooster. The third is from 2024 with a new, shiny rooster.
My Lucky “Visites Flash”
The museum, Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, offers 15-minute quick visits in French for different sections of the museum. The times vary during the day, but are posted at the entrance to the permanent exhibits. By coincidence, I was in time for the 11:15 quick visit of the sculptures.
The guide pointed out some things to look for on the statues.
Until the next restoration, for example, you can see some marks on the “Saint Thomas=Viollet-Le-Duc” statue. The marks were made by a visitor who decided to scrape the patina for some reason.
On the statues, notice a seam (look at the sleeve of “Saint Thomas”). These are sheets of copper.
The sculptor/designer, Adolphe-Victor Geoffrey-Dechaume used medieval statues as models for the spire sculptures. The faces of the statues are elongated. When in their proper place and you look up, they will seem to have normal proportions.
Team of Two Designers
Whenever you look at these sculptures from 1850 in the future, think of two: Adolphe-Victor Geoffrey-Dechaume and Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-Le-Duc. You cannot have one without the other.
The two friends worked together on Viollet-Le-Duc’s project.
Geoffrey-Dechaume lived in the village of Valmondois (Val-d’Oise). He was the sculptor for the restoration project of Viollet-Le-Duc. His work covered the interior and exterior of the cathedral. Known for expressive detail, in today’s nomenclature he would be considered a designer.
Saint Thomas is the patron saint of architects and considered the skeptical apostle. Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume (1816-1892) gave the face of the friend and project leader, Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879).
There was no doubt who designed the spire. Viollet-le-Duc’s signature was on the architect’s ruler. It included the words: “Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc built this spire”. More fascinating reading about the on this topic online Chroniques d’architecture’s article about “the spire poisoned by Viollet-le-Duc“. (translate to English).
For a detailed story on Viollet-Le-Duc’s vision for the statues, read Connaissance des Arts (translate the story to English in your browser) The “La Cité de l’Architecture célèbre la flèche de Notre-Dame”
Some Details of the Restoration
Originally, the statues were taken down for restoration in 2019 due to copper oxidation that gave them their greenish patina. They are empty inside. Thin copper plates are hammered on cast iron matrices. A copper stirrup system fixes them on an iron frame, and they’re welded together. This skeleton makes them lighter. (Read more on Connaissance des arts « Adieu vert-de-gris ! Les statues de la flèche de Notre-Dame de Paris ont retrouvé leur couleur d’origine » “Goodbye green/gray! The statues of the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris have regained their original color” can be translated to English in your browser.
The restoration of such statues is done in several stages. First, the copper leaves are stripped. A new patina is then applied in order to give the sculptures a bronze aspect. The process causes the “seam” between the copper sheets (visible on the statues). The final phase of restoration consists of applying a protective wax over the entire surface. Read about the procedure in the Connaissance des arts story (link above).
More about Adolphe-Victor Geoffrey-Dechaume
You can see Dechaume’s works in Laon Cathedral (Aisne-Bayeux) and la Sainte-Chapelle (Paris). He designed gold work on display at Musée d’Orsay and at the Louvre Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine and his hometown of Valmondois
