In the shadow of the towers of Notre Dame | M6 | 66 minutes

As night falls and the two Tamil security men, Joaquim and Glory, close the twenty-six doors of Notre Dame cathedral one by one, an American organist enters the silent den for a rehearsal. In order to experience this solitary pleasure he enrolled on a waiting list more than a year ago. For they come from all over the world to visit Notre Dame de Paris, the capital’s most visited free monument. To contemplate during the famous Easter vigil, to worship a fragment of the crown of thorns worn by Christ or to take a selfie as they walk around, watch in hand, in 7 minutes flat, whether Father Terrien likes it or not. This polyglot missionary is striving to educate, in his own way, the Japanese tourists, whom he considers in too much of a hurry. To ensure the reception and the safety of the approximately 30,000 daily visitors, 200 volunteers are busy behind the scenes. An unpaid workforce that is a boon to Monseigneur Jacquin, who struggles to pay his 50 employees and his sky-high electricity bills. The man of the cloth has to exercise his imagination to keep the tills of his business ringing. Fortunately for his finances, the fabric of the cathedral is maintained by the State. An architect from the Historic Monuments department has the onerous responsibility of tracking down every leak and worrisome crack. To do this, he creeps into the most remote corners of the roof and walkways set some hundred meters above the ground, even going inside the famous Bourdon great bell.