Dmitry Kiselev in Vesti Nedeli talks about another example of the degradation of European culture:
“Here we are thinking about the boundaries of the possible in the course of the development of human civilization. And everywhere they think. It is always interesting to look for common and different approaches, what is dear to whom and to what extent. Who is ready to go to any lengths for their ideas and ideals, and what are they in general? In our time, all these questions are particularly acute. Therefore, the answers should be quite clear to themselves. Both here, in Russia, and there, whether in the East or the West.
A typical discussion in this sense is described in a book recently presented in France. Author: Roselyn Bachelot. There are only three digits in the title – "682". Six hundred and eighty-two days – this is how long Roselyn Bachelot worked in the French government as Minister of Culture. <…> And it was in this post that she, a grated nut, had to go through perhaps the most critical moments in her political career. What is at least the problem of restoring the Notre Dame Cathedral, which in April 2019 survived a terrible fire . It's also typical, by the way.
Notre Dame burned down from a cigarette butt during repairs under the roof. The case, obviously, was entrusted to those for whom the main Catholic shrine of France means nothing. But now is not about that. The spire collapsed in a fiery whirlwind. And the idea to restore it in a new image was put forward by the first lady of France Brigitte Macron herself. Recall that Brigitte was already over forty when they had an affair with 17-year-old Emmanuel. She taught the young man French and Latin at the Jesuit Lyceum. But even now, having already become the first lady of France, Brigitte retains a hot temper, otherwise how to explain the fantasies that prompted her to present such a radically daring architectural project for the restoration of the Notre Dame spire?
She introduced him personally to the minister of culture, Roselyn Bachelot. According to the Macrons, there is no need to repeat and it is not worth rebuilding the old. In place of the spire, an erect phallus with two golden balls at the base should be erected. Why, after all, everyone already perceived the old spire as a phallic image. So let the architectural statement be direct, without any equivocations. True, the cross at the top of the spire disappears. But who needs a cross in France now, because Macron has long said that there is no French culture, but there is the culture of France, where people live differently and there is no need to impose anything on anyone.
The proposed project literally stunned Roselyn Bachelot. As Minister of Culture, she began to refer to the Venice Charter of 1994, according to which the authenticity of the historical heritage should be preserved. But the Macrons were persistent. One way or another, and the spire over Notre Dame has not yet been restored, but the attitude towards Roseline Bachelot has since become cool, and as a result, she lost her ministerial post. Such are the things. And we all wonder where mutual understanding has gone, and whether there was any at all … And where are the limits? .. "
In fact, after the fire that destroyed the spire of the cathedral, the idea arose not to restore it in its previous form, but to create a modern one in its place. The fact is that the spire was not part of the original appearance of the Gothic cathedral, it was built in the middle of the 19th century by the architect Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, who led the restoration of the cathedral, which was badly damaged during the revolution.
There is a tradition in the Catholic and Protestant churches: during the restoration of the cathedral, the master can add some contemporary element to it – a kind of author's signature. Thus, a bas-relief depicting an astronaut and a figure of a faun with an ice cream cone in his hand appeared on the Gothic cathedral in the Spanish Salamanca, on the National Cathedral in Washington – the head of Darth Vader, on the church in the French village of Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau – sculptural images of the Alien and the gremlin instead traditional gargoyles. Obviously, relying on this tradition, they decided to build a modern spire.
Architects from all over the world have created many projects; for example, the classic of modern architecture, Sir Norman Foster , proposed making the roof and spire glass, Mathieu Leanner – a gilded spire in the form of a tongue of flame, Anthony Sezhurne – a light spire going into the sky. formed by powerful spotlights.
The conservative Bachelot objected to these projects, and one of them in her book ironically described as looking like an erect phallus surrounded by golden balls. Presumably, she described the project of the Cypriot architectural bureau Kiss the Architect as follows – at least it has gilded balls at the base of the spire.
However, in order to discern a phallic shape in the openwork multi-tiered arched structure around the spiral staircase leading to the observation deck, you need remarkable imagination. The balls at the base of the arches, by the way, are not two, but eight.
Journalists from the French publication Franceinfo contacted Roselyne Bachelot, who commented on the episode from her book that caused a strong reaction:
“Brigitte did not advocate this project at all, she handed it over only because it was offered to the Elysee Palace. We received dozens of “architectural gestures” for the restoration of the spire.”
Brigitte Macron's office also confirmed that she did not speak out in support of the project.