Cathedral “Notre-Dame de Paris”

The research surrounding Notre-Dame de Paris primarily focuses on the cathedral itself, an iconic material structure, encompassing its various states over time: before and after the 2019 fire, during and after the restoration, as well as the recovered remnants. This object of study is divided into several essential aspects.

1. Integration of the Cathedral’s Multiple States. We focus on reconstructing the state before the fire by combining documentary sources and remnants (thousands of elements in wood, metal, and stone), as well as documenting the scientific activities conducted during the restoration.
2. Plurality of Disciplinary Perspectives. The Notre-Dame scientific project, bringing together over 170 researchers, mobilizes experts in architecture, archaeology, physics, chemistry, acoustics, and other fields. This context allows us to examine Notre-Dame from different angles and address a variety of knowledge objects, such as material analysis, decoration, structure, and even the acoustic and emotional aspects of the heritage.
3. Relationship Between Material Objects and Knowledge Objects. A central focus of our research is the development of multidimensional and semantically rich digital resources, capable of recording and representing the multiple perspectives on the cathedral, analyzing the interaction dynamics between these perspectives, and constructing a scientific knowledge map around a common research territory.