Notre-Dame and paço de São Cristóvão: memory and resignification post-fire

Abstract

This article comparatively examines the heritage reconstruction processes undertaken at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and Paço de São Cristóvão, the historic seat of the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, following the fires of 2019 and 2018, respectively. It seeks to understand how different institutional paths and architectural decisions reorganize heritage values, sources of authenticity, uses, and systems of public visibility. The study adopts a qualitative approach, combining historical and documentary analysis, theoretical review, and a comparative examination using a matrix applied to architectural projects, legislation, technical and institutional documents, photographic records, and communication materials. The findings show that, at Notre-Dame, centralized decision-making and the concentrated intervention timeframe produced a composite formal unity, combining documented medieval references for the nave and choir with the “Viollet-le-Duc state” adopted for the spire and the main roof structure. At Paço de São Cristóvão, interinstitutional governance and implementation through successive phases constitute an incremental process in which the conservation of the surviving fabric, the reconstruction of lost elements, the integration of notoriously contemporary structures, and new connections support the complex’s reactivation as a museum, a scientific institution, and a public facility. The circulation of images also performs distinct roles: at Notre-Dame, it tends to stabilize a narrative of continuity and reopening; at Paço, it communicates successive stages and legitimizes an ongoing reconstruction. The study contributes to the debate on architectural restoration by demonstrating that post-catastrophe reconstruction operates simultaneously on material fabric, values, uses, and forms of public visibility, revealing the constitutive role of symbolic dimensions and communication processes in the contemporary reinscription of heritage.