For just one more night, the facade of Notre Dame de Paris will display a light show for the ages, designed to celebrate both the cathedral's enduring majesty and the centenary of World War I.
The show, " Dame de Coeur ," tells the story of the cathedral and its role in French history for the benefit of a fictitious injured American soldier in the First World War who tells a young French nurse that he fears dying before he ever sees the fabled French Gothic church.
The 20-minute video projection, using 3D mapping, includes 17 luminous images and is the creation of director Bruno Seillier. The message of the light show is a reminder that the 850-year-old cathedral has survived revolutions, rioting, vandals, and two world wars.
"The power of the century stops at the door of the sanctuary," said Seillier, according to Le Figaro .
Still, time and pollution have taken their toll on the medieval masterpiece. The cathedral is in need of repair . The French government and the archdiocese of Paris don't see eye to eye on how to split the cost of restoration. Both hope that, with about 12 million visitors annually, a public fundraising campaign in the United States, will help raise the necessary funds.
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