Through the magic of technology, Americans will be able to contemplate Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral; with a swipe of the screen, they can see what the cathedral looked like hundreds of years ago.
"Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition" at the National Building Museum is one of two summer exhibitions in Washington, D.C., that delve into the history of an internationally popular and beloved place of worship for pilgrims and tourists alike.
In the "Basilica Sancti Petri: The Transformation of St. Peter's Basilica" exhibition at the Museum of the Bible, visitors can see renderings of what the famous basilica almost looked like and how it became the renowned sacred space it is today.
The Notre Dame exhibition presents itself as "an augmented reality immersion into the history and restoration of the venerable cathedral."
Upon arrival, visitors receive a tablet, called a HistoPad, and enter a hall decorated with statues, faux stained glass, and giant photos of Notre-Dame.
The self-guided tour begins with video images of the devastating fire that ravaged the cathedral in 2019. The tablet notes that French visitors call it "the wound."
Then, it continues with the cathedral's beginnings, when Bishop Maurice de Sully, in 1163, began demolishing the 500-year-old Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, which was too small and too old for Paris's needs, and started building Notre-Dame in its place.
Scannable portals, similar to QR codes, open a virtual reality scene where users can see the site as it was at the time and quickly swipe to see its current appearance.
When users click on bright points in the image to learn more, church bells, ringing hammers, chants, and other sound effects are played.
After taking visitors through the entire construction process, pivotal scenes from Notre-Dame's life are explored, from its desecration during the French Revolution to the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte. The final part of the exhibition shows images of the incredible cathedral restoration process, with 360-degree and high-definition views.
At the Museum of the Bible, illustrated engravings tell the story of the reconstruction of St. Peter's Basilica. The exhibition is presented in a room titled "Treasures of the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library."
Catholic visitors to the museum may also be interested in the exhibition "Mystery and Faith: The Shroud of Turin," which examines the burial cloth of Christ.
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was built over the burial place of the Apostle Peter by Emperor Constantine I in the fourth century. By the early 16th century, due to its age and poor condition, the basilica needed to be demolished.
The reconstruction process spanned many years, with numerous architects contributing to the project, including Michelangelo and Bernini. The new basilica was consecrated in 1626.
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The engravings illustrate the various plans for the new basilica and culminate in an engraving of the ultimate St. Peter's Basilica and its square.
The exhibitions on Notre-Dame and St. Peter's Basilica celebrate these architectural works of art and remind visitors of the devoted Catholics who worked faithfully to produce and preserve these houses of God.
This article was originally published in English by The Boston Pilot ( Article Link ).