Catholic Church refuses admission to Notre-Dame Cathedral

Visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris should remain free of charge. The church spoke out in favour of this on Thursday. This was prompted by an interview with Culture Minister Rachida Dati, in which she called for an entrance fee of five euros to be charged for every tourist visit.

Free access to cathedrals and churches is based on a law dating back to 1905, which stipulates the separation of church and state, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Paris. Secondly, it is the mission of the church to accept everyone regardless of origin, religion, ideology or financial means.

Notre-Dame has also never differentiated between pilgrims and other visitors. The visits would continue during the church services. A separation would be difficult to realise due to the premises. In any case, the many guests would not be prevented from "demonstrating their unshakeable attachment to Notre-Dame".

Entrance fee could bring in millions

Minister Dati had previously calculated for the newspaper "Le Figaro" (Thursday): "With just five euros per visitor, we could raise 75 million euros per year." She had submitted this proposal to the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich.

Notre-Dame had raised awareness of the religious heritage that belongs to all French people, regardless of their faith, said the minister. The money should be used to protect this heritage throughout France. "In this way, Notre-Dame de Paris would save all churches in Paris and France." That would be "a great symbol".

Dati also spoke out in favour of increasing the entrance fees to the Louvre Museum for tourists from non-EU countries, for example. "It is not the intention of the French to pay for everything themselves," she said. A corresponding regulation should come into force at the beginning of 2026.

Reopening of Notre-Dame at the beginning of December

Notre-Dame is due to reopen on 8 December after around five and a half years of reconstruction. The world-famous church was badly damaged in a fire in April 2019.

An online reservation system for the opening ceremony was announced in September. Details are to be announced in mid-November. The booking system itself is only expected to go live a few days after the reopening.

Before 2019, 12 to 14 million people visited the church every year. By comparison, a good 6.3 million people visited the Eiffel Tower in 2023. (KNA)