Last Updated on November 6, 2024
On November 15, 2024, New York is set to experience an extraordinary union of history and technology as Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition opens at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. From November 15, 2024, through January 31, 2025, visitors will embark on a vivid journey through 850 years of Notre-Dame’s remarkable history, brought to life through cutting-edge augmented reality. The innovative exhibition is designed and produced by Histovery, a French educational technology startup, in collaboration with the Public Institution in charge of the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.
Part of a global tour, the New York exhibition takes place during the official reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris on December 8, 2024, following five years of reconstruction and restoration.
Guided by illuminated photo panels and 3-D models of Notre-Dame—including a full-size chimera—visitors use a HistoPad™, an interactive touch-screen tablet developed by Histovery, to step back in time to medieval Paris where they will meet stonemasons, craftsmen, and builders. From there they move forward through time where they will see the construction of the Gothic Choir in 1180, the arrival of the Holy Crown carried by Saint Louis in 1241, the coronation of Emperor Napoleon I in 1804, and the addition of the iconic Viollet-le-Duc spire in 1859, and witness Notre-Dame’s miraculous survival from the 2019 fire that shocked the world as the exhibit shows history unfold in real-time.
“The cutting-edge technologies of Histovery enable us to bridge Notre-Dame’s nearly millennium-old history with the current restoration project,” Philippe Jost, President of the public institution Rebuilding Notre-Dame, said. “Through a partnership with the public institution, this exhibition allows visitors from around the world to discover the extent of the ongoing restoration work and the exceptional quality of the craftsmanship and expertise at work throughout France contributing to its restoration. We are successfully meeting the challenge of preparing Notre-Dame for reopening on December 8, 2024, for worship and visits, as we are currently on schedule and staying within budget.”
Throughout the exhibition visitors can scroll through a timeline of Notre-Dame’s construction history and select options on each screen for more detail. Current restoration is a major focus of the exhibition and using the HistoPad visitors will see modern-day experts and master craftspeople in action to rebuild and restore Notre-Dame.
This groundbreaking approach to storytelling merges centuries-old architecture with compelling multimedia—a cultural experience uniquely suited for a diverse audience, from art lovers, history nerds, to tech enthusiasts. Ideal for New Yorkers looking to rediscover culture in a dynamic way, it’s an innovative marriage of past and present.
“With HistoPad, you’re no longer a spectator—you’re an active part of history,” Asia Laird, Managing Director of Histovery U.S., said. “It’s a new era where the past unfolds before you and you can explore every corner of one of the world’s greatest cathedral. It’s like time travel—except it’s real.”
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, provides an ideal stage for this ambitious exhibition.
“Notre-Dame and St. John the Divine are both symbols of resilience,” The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, said. “Hosting this extraordinary exhibition connects two of the world’s most monumental cathedrals and invites our visitors to rediscover the past in a vibrant, new way. New Yorkers and visitors alike are in for a truly transformative experience.”
Running from November 15, 2024, to January 31, 2025, this exhibit promises to be an unmissable highlight of the season—bringing Paris to New York, one legendary stone at a time.
