Preserving the Past
through Technology

From the outset, Antoine Madelénat highlights the apparent contradiction between heritage and technology. « I work with painting restorers, who talk primarily about technology in terms of the creation of works and objects. It is technological analysis and the study of the materials and techniques used that will justify and shape the restoration project.” To deal with issues relating to completely unique objects, such as the flying buttresses of a stone cathedral, “we don't rely on experimentation. We use technology to create models, to explain and understand what is happening. We match our model to reality, and then we can make proposals for restoration, consolidation, etc. » Modelling allows access to invisible areas and for greater precision about parts that would otherwise be inaccessible.

However, Antoine Madelénat points out that images have brought about a new way of approaching reality. “It physically distances us from the objects we are working on. We lose some of that tactile approach, where we used to rummage around in the structure...” Technology has its place in heritage preservation, but the object itself must remain central: “We will use all the means at our disposal including technology, but also what a more physical approach allows us to do.”

The architect cites a striking example: the renovation of the roof structure of Paris Cathedral. This structure had been digitally modelled. A key factor in ensuring that the renovation was carried out identically after the 2019 fire was down to a student's curiosity: “As a student an architect had had the good idea to go and take measurements to see how the roof structure was assembled. The digital model would certainly have been useful for providing dimensions, but it would never have provided the information needed to understand how it was assembled.”

Several projects carried out in the Alpes-Maritimes region

Thanks to photogrammetry¹ and laser scanning or LiDAR², digital 3D scanning makes it possible to create highly accurate replicas of monuments and historic sites. Carbon-14 dating and electron scanning microscopes are also among the tools used.

But are you familiar with dendrochronology³? “It's a great tool for dating wooden structures.” Antoine Madelénat cites two examples of restorations that have benefited from this method of dating wood, “at the crossroads between archaeology and architecture”.

For the Isba de Valrose in Nice, a traditional Ukrainian wooden house imported from the East in the 19th century by a Russian aristocrat, dendrochronology has enriched our knowledge. In Sauze, this technology was a real asset to the church restoration project: “We discovered that the roof structure dated back to the 16th century.” It was then decided to preserve it, which was not initially planned.

In Grasse, with the restoration of the Episcopal Palace, « the aim is to restore a building to its medieval state, which was significantly altered during the 18th and 19th centuries. The use of digital modelling and numerical calculations has made it possible to justify a structure that guarantees the solidity of the building, particularly in the face of earthquake risks. »

These examples illustrate how technology, far from replacing human hands, informs the choices made by restorers.

Greater access to our heritage

Beyond the assistance it provides during the restoration of heritage sites, technology makes our cultural heritage visible and accessible. 3D modelling has thus come to the rescue of the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Too fragile to welcome the public, with its cave paintings dating back more than 36,000 years, it has been faithfully replicated in the Chauvet Cave 2, which offers the general public the opportunity to discover this exceptional heritage without endangering the original.

Other initiatives have relied on virtual restoration to bring lost monuments back to life. In Cluny, in the Saône-et-Loire department, the digital creation of Cluny III Abbey and augmented reality devices have brought back to life a building of which only ruins remain. Thanks to interactive terminals, visitors can see the lost parts superimposed on the current landscape, and the architecture is reborn before their eyes.

Museums are not to be outdone. The Louvre is a good example of the renewal of the visitor experience with its virtual online tours. Certain rooms and exhibitions, such as those in the Petite Galerie, can be visited in 360° and allow visitors to discover the works accompanied by explanations. The museum also provides a database, Collections, which brings together more than 500,000 works that can be viewed from home. These tools broaden access to the Louvre, offering a complementary approach to visiting the museum in person.

Another notable example is the project La Basilica di San Pietro: an AI-Enhanced Experience, the result of close collaboration between the Vatican, Microsoft and French start-up Iconem. Specialising in the digitisation of global cultural heritage and the creation of immersive experiences, Iconem has collected more than 400,000 photographs and ultra-detailed surveys. After more than two years of work, this material has given rise to a web application offering an exceptionally accurate 3D replica of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Visitors can follow predefined guided tours, enriched with annotations and archive images. They can discover the architectural richness of the basilica, details invisible from the ground, and areas usually closed to the public. This project combines mediation and conservation.

And technology is now exploring the depths of the sea. Thanks to virtual reality, it is possible to immerse yourself like a real diver and discover underwater cultural heritage, whether ancient shipwrecks or sunken sites. In 2023, the European CREAMARE project used a highly detailed 3D model to make accessible the remains of the Lombardo, a 19th-century steamship used by Giuseppe Garibaldi that sank in 1864 near the Tremiti Islands in the Adriatic Sea.

These initiatives demonstrate how technology can serve as a driver of cultural inclusion. Immersive and interactive experiences attract and engage new audiences, especially younger people.

Our heritage is fragile by nature, so technology is a valuable ally. New tools help inform decisions about restoring monuments, preserving cultural heritage, creating immersive experiences for the general public, and monitoring the condition of works in laboratories.

However, they cannot replace the expertise of specialists or the emotion of encountering a work of art in person. The future of our heritage continues to depend on this complementary relationship between human expertise and technological innovation, which together bring our collective memory to life and pass it on to future generations.

While preservation is a collective endeavour, it also relies on committed players such as the Fondation du Patrimoine, which reminds us that safeguarding our heritage is not just a matter of technology, but of shared responsibility.

This view is shared by specialists in the field.

The final word goes to architect Antoine Madelénat, reminding us how vital it is to preserve our understanding of the material world.

“Technology, yes, absolutely… But we mustn’t forget that things are extraordinarily complex, sometimes involving immense weights. In a stone church, we’re talking about thousands, even tens of thousands, of tonnes suspended above our heads. Great caution is required.”

1. Photogrammetry is a measurement technique that involves determining the shape, dimensions and location of an object in space from several photographs of that object.

2. LiDAR is an acronym for ‘Light Detection and Ranging’. This technology uses laser beams to measure distances accurately, providing precise distances and detailed 3D maps.

3. Dendrochronology is a method of dating by studying the growth rings of tree trunks. There are databases in France and beyond, with the sequence of seasons and knowledge of the effects they have on tree growth. Cross-referencing these sequences with elements dating wood makes it possible to date the wood, i.e. to find the precise date, to within a season, when it was felled.