Adding arms to Venus de Milo: Harsh criticism of ongoing restoration work at Chartres Cathedral

As recently reported by The Telegraph newspaper, divergent perspectives on the restoration of ancient monuments has erupted into a war of words targeting a multi-year project to lighten the interior of ChartresCathedral. The cathedral, a world heritage site since 1979, dates from the 12th century and is widely viewed as representing the apex of French Gothic art.

While the criticism has originated principally from American architects and historians, including one who termed the project a cultural travesty tantamount to “adding arms to the Venus de Milo”. Other commentators claim that the approach adopted flies in the face of the 1964 Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, while Le Figaro, a Paris newspaper, likened the experience of visiting the "lightened" cathedral to watching a film in a cinema where they haven’t switched off the lights.

However, other commentators in France have defended the project, and at the end of the day the whole affair may say more about differing Gallic and Anglo-Saxon sensibilities when it comes to the restoration of historical buildings than the rights and wrongs of this particular project.