Eternal Notre-Dame: Another VR journey through time

Another VR experience honours the history of Notre-Dame Cathedral and takes visitors on a virtual journey through time that spans centuries.

On 15 April 2019, a devastating fire destroyed the roof, upper walls and spire of the Parisian landmark. The French network operator Orange is now creating another virtual monument to the world-famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in the form of a VR experience that honours its history, architecture and art. Back in 2020, a VR experience called "Rebuilding Notre-Dame" was released, which presents the cathedral before and after the fire and about which we reported.

The historic Notre-Dame accurately reconstructed

Eternal Notre-Dame" lasts around 45 minutes and takes visitors on a journey through 850 years: from its construction in the Middle Ages to its current restoration - a historically accurate reconstruction of the church. The digital twin was created using high-resolution scans and images.

Visitors walk through the halls and the roof, listen to the stories of the original builders, experience important historical events and meet influential personalities of the time.

Eternal Notre-Dame: currently only visible on site

The VR experience is designed as a travelling exhibition that can only be seen on site until further notice: Since 15 January at the Grande Arche in the high-rise district of La Défense, from spring at the Conciergerie in Paris and from September 2022 directly in front of the cathedral. The VR attraction will then travel throughout France, Europe and the rest of the world.

The project was developed by VR studio Emissive, which previously created the successful VR experience Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass for the Louvre, about which we wrote reported. As this has now been released for the PC VR platforms Viveport and SteamVR, Eternal Notre-Dame could possibly also be released for home VR systems at a later date. Other partners include The Orange Group, Amaclio Productions and the Diocèse de Paris, the public institution for the preservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and the city of Paris. The entrance ticket costs 30 euros, with 30 per cent of the proceeds going to the ongoing restoration project. The reopening of the cathedral is scheduled for April 2024.

Source: Mixed / orange