“Entering Notre-Dame lifts the soul”

Princess Yasmine Murat presides over the “Association pour le rayonnement français”. The wife of Prince Joachim Murat, Princess Yasmine is originally from Annaba, Algeria. She shared her thoughts on the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris:

“I saw the Paris Cathedral for the first time “in real life” at the age of 11, when my parents took me to France for an operation after I had injured my eye. 

Notre-Dame de Paris sums up the history of France and demonstrates its unity. By beheading the king, I believe the revolutionaries wanted to decapitate the country's Christian identity.

Notre-Dame will never be a monument to be visited, a cultural object or a museum. Its Christian dimension is inseparable from the building that has integrated it into every stone and stained-glass window. Just entering it elevates the soul from the very start.

My middle name is Marie, because I was baptized on the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16. That's how close my bond with her is! I'm fascinated by the person of Mary, by her humility, by the sufferings she underwent, by the sacrifices she accepted: for me, she's an example of solidity and gentleness. And now that I'm a mother, I feel even closer to her, especially as I can relate to what she was able to endure through the sufferings of her own Son."

Interview (excerpts) by Guillaume Zeller

For France Catholique magazine, December 6, 2024