Sublime face of Christ found on Notre Dame construction site

Anne-Sophie Retailleau - published on 09/21/24

Splendid fragments of the former rood screen at Notre Dame of Paris, found during excavations after the fire in April 2019, have just been made public.

Notre Dame of Paris continues to reveal its hidden treasures. On September 17, the French National Institute of Preventative Archeological Research (or “Inrap,” for its initials in French) published its latest findings from the preventive excavations carried out during the restoration of Notre Dame.

In the course of these operations, archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient rood screen at the crossing of the cathedral's transept. The discovery had been announced in 2022, but no details had been revealed until now.

Built in 1230, the rood screen of Notre Dame of Paris cathedral was removed in the 18th century “to accommodate new liturgical practices,” according to Inrap. 

More than 1,000 fragments

The architect Viollet-le-Duc had already discovered part of the rood screen's remains during work carried out in the 19th century. But the discoveries made in 2022 are unprecedented: more than 1,000 fragments of sculpture have been unearthed.

This treasure trove is all the more exceptional in that 700 of the 1,000 fragments have preserved their 13th-century polychromy. Faces, plants, hands, drapery, hair ... Almost all the fragments found still show the brilliance of their original color, testifying to the splendor of the Gothic cathedrals whose decorations were painted.

Click on the photo to see a slideshow of fragments of the rood screen at Notre Dame of Paris

 

The discovery of these pieces is of major importance, since nothing of the original painted decorations of Notre Dame of Paris had ever been found before. The quality of the sculptures and the beauty of the stone, which has been buried underground for centuries, is also amazing.

In particular, the face of the dead Christ, masterfully photographed on a black background, is entrancing thanks to the softness and fineness of its features. All the fragments are undergoing cleaning and polychrome stabilization, a process due to continue until spring 2025. This task is an essential step before the individual pieces can be studied by specialists. Around 30 fragments will be exhibited at the Musée de Cluny in Paris starting on November 19, 2024.