Guest Speaker - Christophe Besnier

Join us for a rare opportunity to hear archaeologist Christophe Besnier from France's Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP) share the extraordinary discoveries made beneath Notre-Dame Cathedral following the 2019 fire. Besnier will present the remarkable findings from his team's excavations, including over 1,000 medieval artifacts, brilliantly painted sculptures from a 13th-century rood screen, and mysterious lead sarcophagi that have rewritten our understanding of the cathedral's history. Don't miss this fascinating glimpse into the hidden treasures and medieval secrets that lie beneath one of the world's most iconic monuments during its five-year restoration.

Sponsored by Katheryn B. Gore in French Studies, French and Italian Department, Middle American Research Institute, School of Liberal Arts, Newcomb Art Department, Alliance Française of New Orleans, French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research, and Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris.