A special issue of the Journal of Cultural Heritage (Vol. 65, 2024) is dedicated to the CNRS / French Ministry of Culture scientific programme on Notre-Dame de Paris, reflecting the unprecedented interdisciplinary research effort initiated after the 2019 fire.

Entitled “The Notre-Dame de Paris : a multidisciplinary scientific site”, this issue presents the first collective synthesis of the nine thematic working groups involved in the project (wood, stone, metal, glass, structure, monumental decoration, acoustics, digital data, and heritage emotions). It documents the methodologies, observations, and initial results obtained across a wide range of disciplines, from material sciences and structural engineering to archaeology, digital humanities, acoustics, and social sciences.

The volume highlights the holistic and multi-temporal approach adopted for the study and conservation of the cathedral, as well as the development of new digital and analytical frameworks for the integration, interpretation, and long-term preservation of heterogeneous scientific data. It provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges raised by such a large-scale heritage crisis and of the scientific responses deployed within an exceptional collaborative and institutional context.

Special Issue: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-cultural-heritage/vol/65/

ntroductory article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2024.02.004