Plans for the contemporary replacement of some of the stained glass windows inside Notre Dame Cathedral’s damaged interior have sparked a considerable outcry from the public a year before the Parisian landmark is set to begin reopening in the wake of the destructive 2019 fire.

Calls for a new competition to design windows for six of Notre Dame’s seven south aisle side chapels has led to a petition signed by 120,000 people urging the French government to reconsider on grounds that they would distort the originality of architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century expansion, according to a report from The Guardian.

The new window designs would replace what emerged from the catastrophe undamaged and are therefore considered important relics of the blaze by heritage experts and other conservation specialists. Nevertheless, the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, requested the French state’s approval of new windows, a solicitation President Emmanuel Macron then threw his office’s support behind. 

They would (presumably) be installed in time for the reopening and 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. The old windows are slated for preservation inside the newly-created Notre Dame Museum, another new feature that’s included as part of its ongoing interior restoration. 

“As you can see from some of the videos, the cathedral has bays without stained glass windows, closed only by white skylights. Installing stained-glass windows in these would not detract from the harmony intended by Viollet-le-Duc, and would enhance the cathedral,” the petition’s originator, Didier Rykner, explained to the Guardian in reference to its suggestion to have new windows installed in more fire-damaged areas.

“It would also have a magnificent symbolic role: it was in the north tower, when they fought the fire that threatened to bring down the bells and, in turn, the cathedral, that the firefighters risked their lives to save the monument. Paying tribute to the firefighters, bringing new stained-glass windows to Notre Dame without vandalising Viollet-le-Duc’s work, giving future visitors more to see: this commonsense solution could suit everyone,” Rykner added.

There is no word yet when or if the competition to design a replacement will be announced. The church's replacement spire (which itself was subject to debate after Macron had initially proposed a 'modern' solution) was installed earlier this month. 

Notre Dame Cathedral is expected to reopen on December 8, 2024.