Notre-Dame de Paris. Fashion designer Castelbajac unveils the chasubles of the archbishops and deacons for the reopening

“I chose a chasuble in white wool canvas of monastic sobriety, on which the burst of gold, the reflection of the light from the stained glass windows will be striking.” These are the words in which Jean-Charles de Castelbajac presented all of the approximately 2,000 chasubles, copes and stoles that he has just designed. They will be worn by the bishops, priests, deacons and canons of Notre-Dame de Paris during the cathedral’s reopening ceremonies, which will take place between 7 and 15 December, then throughout the inaugural period, until Pentecost on 8 June 2025.

Subsequently, these clothes will be reserved for major religious festivals.

The designer explained how he had accepted with “great emotion and enthusiasm” to work again for the Church, after having designed the liturgical vestments for the 1997 WYD, at the request of Mgr Jean-Marie Lustiger, then Archbishop of Paris. “From the age of 17,” he recounts, “the sight of the tunic of Saint Louis in the cathedral treasury inspired me. The fragile textile is the essential complement to the strength of the stone and the liturgy.”

Although he admits that he initially started with a “dreamlike, all blue, evoking the color of Mary” idea, his inspiration then evolved “towards simplicity.” The chasubles, ultimately white, take up the refined central motif The Cross and the Glory by Marc Couturier, erected at the back of the cathedral choir. “It overcame the tumult of the fire,” recalls Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, “and I see it as a flag.” Around it, colorful flashes for the archbishop and the priests; small Greek crosses in the same bright tones for the bishops, which recall “the gathering of the apostles in their diversity.” For the deacons’ vestments, he thought of “cloisonné enamels.” Braids in the same red, blue, yellow and green will highlight the celebrant’s movements. With a touch of humor, the designer, who preferred to follow a tradition of sobriety and elegance rather than rupture, nevertheless recognizes the desire to introduce “spiritual epicness” into these solemn vestments.

For more information: bit.ly/castelbajac-notredame