What is being created?
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A high‑precision digital replica of Notre‑Dame, capturing every architectural detail to a precision of centimeters, across its structure, sculptures, decorations, and stained glass.
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Developed using advanced imaging technologies, laser scanning, drone footage, and AI methods—similar to Microsoft’s previous initiative with St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
Why now and how?
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Notre‑Dame reopened to the public in December 2024, following a five‑year restoration after the devastating April 15, 2019 fire.
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The project will build on lessons from the Basilica digital twin—created from over 400,000 images—and is expected to take at least a year and involve millions of dollars in funding.
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Microsoft will donate the completed digital twin to the French State, potentially for inclusion in the upcoming Musée Notre Dame de Paris.
Key Uses & Benefits
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Preservation: Acts as a permanent, archival-quality record of the cathedral’s current condition, ensuring long‑term protection of its heritage and design.
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Maintenance: Enables restoration teams to monitor wear, structural shifts, or damage over time; every centimeter and detail are digitally recorded.
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Accessibility: Offers virtual experiences for those unable to visit in person and can be integrated into immersive exhibits or educational platforms.
Microsoft’s Cultural Legacy & Broader Strategy
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This twin is part of Microsoft’s Culture AI initiative, launched in 2019, which supports digitization of endangered languages, monuments, and artifacts in partnership with governments and cultural institutions worldwide
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Past projects include digital preservation of Ancient Olympia (Greece), Mont Saint‑Michel (France), and commemorations such as the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
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The Notre‑Dame twin is complemented by digitization efforts of approximately 1.5 million artifacts, including model sets at the Opéra National de Paris, in collaboration with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and Musée des Arts Décoratifs
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Microsoft is also investing in European innovation centres, focusing on expanding support for under‑represented languages in AI training and data platforms such as GitHub and Hugging Face
Why this matters
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Notre‑Dame is central to France’s cultural identity—immortalized in literature like Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre‑Dame (1831) and iconic across media adaptations Creating a high-fidelity digital twin sets a new standard in heritage preservation. As Microsoft President Brad Smith stated: “a resource usable in one, two or even three centuries”.
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Such a model ensures future generations can study, explore, and understand the cathedral in granular detail.
in summary
Microsoft’s initiative to create a digital twin of Notre‑Dame Cathedral, in partnership with the French state and Iconem, is an ambitious fusion of AI, laser scanning, and conservation science. Its goals are preservation, maintenance, and global accessibility—ensuring the legacy of Notre‑Dame is secured for centuries to come.