The new museum space that the city of Chartres wants to build on the cathedral square is ready. “We have reached a successful version, suitable for everyone”, the mayor (LR) Jean-Pierre Gorges tells the Parisian, who reserves the first images of the project for the Higher Commission for Sites, Perspectives and Landscapes (CSSPP). It should meet next January.
Opposite the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chartres aims to create a place “for visitors to see the excavation sites, as the site was occupied long before the cathedral was built in the 12th century,” reveals Jean – Pierre Gorges, who recalls that his city is one of the few in France to employ permanent archaeologists.
Kill two birds with one stone
The project must respect the built front, that is the perspective of the historic buildings that surround the Piazza del Duomo. The idea is to offer additional visits to tourists who come to see the cathedral, or about 1.5 million people a year. Chartres en Lumière attracts around 1 million spectators.
Discreet on the views of the new project, Jean-Pierre Gorges also talks about the budgeted amount. “We will not give any estimate, because it distorts the notices”, argues the first magistrate.
A first project, a waveform that rose from the ground in glass and brick, had overturned in 2019, in the face of opposition from the Church and defenders of heritage. Touching the cathedral is always a risk for elected officials. In 2015 the restyling of the cathedral also caused controversy, which brought back its initial whiteness.
Mayor and 21-year president of a transformed conurbation, Jean-Pierre Gorges would like to complete his last term on this emblematic project.
