Since the devastating fire in 2019, the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral has been undergoing a thorough rebuilding and renovation process. Because of the collapse of the roof structure, many of its interiors had to be remade or redesigned altogether. With the reopening of the building scheduled for December 2024, French culture minister Rachida Dati has proposed charging an entry fee to the religious monument.
1. Entry fee for “cultural visitors”
Before the fire, entry to the main floor was free of charge, however, for access to the 387 steps leading to the bell towers, which offer not only panoramic views of the French capital, but also close-ups of the cathedral’s famous gargoyles, a €8.5 fee was charged.
Now, Dati has proposed charging a €5 entry fee, regardless of whether they climb up to the bell tower or not. “Across Europe, visitors pay to access the most remarkable religious sites. With 5 euros per visitor at Notre Dame, we could save churches all over France. It would be a beautiful symbol”, she said in an interview with Le Figaro.
After receiving some backlash for potentially “making the faithful pay” for access to religious ceremonies, which Ariel Weil, the mayor of Paris Centre where the cathedral is located, called “morally shocking”, Dati clarified in an X post that the fee would only apply for tourists, not Christians attending service.
“Religious services must of course remain free, but every cultural visitor should contribute to preserving our heritage”, she wrote. “It will particularly help all of our bell towers that we deeply cherish.”
Considering the cathedral used to be one of the most visited monuments in the world, attracting 12 to 14 million annual visitors, the entry fee could raise up to €70 million, although the minister more hopefully estimated the gains at €75 million per year, which would be “completely dedicated to a grand preservation plan for France’s religious heritage”.
Indeed, the national heritage charity, Fondation du Patrimoine, estimated that from 42,000 Catholic chapels, churches, abbeys and cathedrals, 500 are closed to the public due to poor conditions, with another 5,000 at risk.
2. Church backlash
While agreeing that the preservation of “religious heritage in France is a cause dear to many hearts”, the diocese of Notre Dame strongly opposes the entry fee, highlighting that “the principle of free access to cathedrals and churches is grounded in both the provisions of the 1905 law separating Church and State and in the fundamental mission of churches”.
Moreover, the diocese also points out that “services are held during visiting hours, and visits continue during services”, which, together with “the relative narrowness of the space”, would make it “extremely challenging” to distinguish between visitors, pilgrims and worshippers, thus questioning the practical implementation of a fee only for visitors.
3. Preservation vs repurposing
While preserving churches and cathedrals identified as cultural heritage should undoubtedly remain a priority, with the increased distancing from the Church and religion observed over recent decades, other countries are opting to repurpose smaller establishments rather than consuming budget for their preservation so they ultimately remain unused. In Belgium alone, over 14,000 people asked to be removed from the Catholic Church registrar last year and over 500 did so following the Pope’s visit in early October, so communities are increasingly looking into using and enjoying religious buildings in a way without being associated with any particular belief.
In Mechelen, the early 20th century Sint Jozef church has been repurposed for a local microbrewery, Batteliek. Opened in 2022, the bar and resto-bar, fitted with large metal tanks, encompasses the entire brewery and distillery process, so guests can see and smell the entire production of beer right there on the spot. To maintain part of the building’s original purpose from its days of functioning as a church, Batteliek is still open as a community gathering place. Everyone is welcome to come and sit down inside or in the garden during the summer, drinking beer or not, to just relax, meet other people or “gaze round in wonder”.
In Brussels, 2022 also saw the opening of a climbing wall inside the Saint-Antoine church, while one of the capital’s most famous night clubs, Spirito, has claimed the grounds of an abandoned Anglican church in 2009 and has been hosting parties till the morning hours ever since under the motto “What happens in the church stays in the church”.
In Flanders, two ministers are taking things to another level, proposing a governmental policy to force municipalities to present plans for repurposing unused churches. “With respect for the past, but with an eye to the future. We have to give these buildings a second life. This decree makes that a lot easier and we are also providing the necessary financial support”, minister of Home Affairs Bart Somers and minister of Immovable Heritage Matthias Diependaele have said, mentioning the plan would also foresee the allocation of subsidies for the repurposing of churches.
