Ouest France: ""It will be rediscovered in 150 years": his little-known work is at the top of Notre-Dame-de-Paris".

Hyacinthe de Keranrouë is a heraldic painter who painted the procès-verbal in the cockerel of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. This work attests to the presence of relics in the cockerel. Here in his studio in Morlaix (Finistère). | KÉVIN GUYOT / OUEST-FRANCE

" I took part in something that is hidden and that may be rediscovered in 150 years' time," says Hyacinthe de Keranrouë, a heraldic painter based in Morlaix (Finistère).

In December 2023, he created a work measuring " 14 cm by 30 cm ", installed in the cockerel that sits atop Notre-Dame-de-Paris, 96 meters high. The painting is a procès verbal, attesting to the presence of the relics Saint-Denis, Sainte-Geneviève and a parcel of the holy crown of thorns of Jesus Christ in the cockerel.

He worked on this XXS-size painting with a calligrapher from Brittany, Nathalie Thomas. She wrote the text, while the painter depicted Sainte-Geneviève, Saint-Denis, the crown of Christ and the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Paris. The last time a work of this kind had been produced was in 1935, when the rooster was lowered.

"It's bigger than we are

Hyacinthe de Keranrouë, a native of Côtes-d'Armor, worked for many years as a painting restorer in Paris, after studying in Brest. He took up heraldic painting " in the 1980s ". This art consists in painting the coats of arms of the greatest, such as those of royal families.

As a painting restorer, " I've learned about the finesse of color, and in heraldic painting, I do a lot of work on it ", he explains.

For Sainte-Geneviève's dress, which appears on the minutes, the artist wanted a " blue-gray, the color of a friend's cat, a Chartreux ". He did some research. " It's a color that comes from Spain, but we've lost its exact origin.

In general, when he paints, " the colors impose themselves in a certain logic. For example, red for martyrs.

For the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Paris, " I made a much larger design. My model was 15.5 cm, and I reduced it to 4.5 cm high. It was a particularly small request ", he points out.

Between the order and delivery of the work, which he produced in two copies, one in the cockerel and the other on display with the cathedral treasure, " I had 8 days ".

" Notre-Dame has an extraordinary treasure, my little piece of paper, no one will see it, I think. "

The painter will be in Paris on December 11 to celebrate the reopening of the building to the public. " It's an unspeakable thrill to have been part of this project. We're part of something that will last a thousand years.

Together with calligrapher Nathalie Thomas, they didn't sign the minutes. " It's bigger than us. When you think of all the people who have worked on Notre-Dame through the ages, our name doesn't matter. What's important is to put our best foot forward. "

Read the article on www.ouest-france.fr

By Sarah Humbert

Published December 8, 2024