Five years after flames engulfed the French capital’s cherished Notre Dame cathedral, controversy has arisen over plans to charge visitors admission fees to the 12th-century gothic masterpiece when it reopens in December.
France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati has prompted debate after proposing a 5 euro ($5.41) entrance fee for tourists visiting the Paris landmark, suggesting that such charges could help fund the preservation of the country’s deteriorating churches.
The iconic cathedral, sometimes described as “the soul of France”, has traditionally been free to enter, making the idea somewhat contentious, reported The Associated Press.
After a devastating fire in April 2019 that destroyed its spire, roof, and wooden framework, Notre Dame is set to reopen on Dec 8 following a five-year restoration project.
Dati said the plan to charge a fee could generate 75 million euros annually to help restore France’s crumbling religious buildings. The culture minister said she envisions Notre Dame as a model project for financing the preservation of churches.
Many of Europe’s most notable cathedrals already charge entrance fees, with visitors routinely paying to tour religious landmarks in Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
“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,” Dati told the French daily newspaper Le Figaro last week.
The proposal has met resistance from France’s Roman Catholic Church, while legal experts question its legality, reported The Guardian newspaper.
Churches need to “welcome all, unconditionally — thus necessarily free of charge — regardless of religion, belief, opinions and financial means”, the diocese of Notre Dame said in a statement.
Among France’s 42,000 Catholic churches, many are deteriorating, with experts reporting the loss of one religious structure every two weeks through neglect, fire, or vandalism.
Government initiatives have sought to address the issue, including the heritage lottery “Loto du patrimoine”.
The Interior Ministry invested 57 million euros in 2022 and spent 280 million euros over five years to restore 8,000 sites, but many still face degeneration.
Dati added that she had “suggested a very simple idea to the archbishop of Paris: a symbolic fee for all tourist visits to Notre Dame”.
The plan would be “completely dedicated to a grand preservation plan for France’s religious heritage”, she said.
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told France Inter radio that if”5 euros can save France’s religious heritage, that’s a good thing, whether one believes in heaven or not: quite simply, this is our landscape”.