On April 15, 2019, viewers around the world watched live footage of one of the most famous cathedrals on the planet, Notre-Dame de Paris, being devastated by fire. More than five years later, Notre Dame is due to reopen to the public on December 8th. Behind the headlines, a fierce debate has been raging about who is responsible for funding France’s cultural heritage and whether visitors to the landmark should be charged an entry fee.
The funding crisis of France’s sacred spaces
While France is a secular country with an explicit law against stat
