Notre-Dame Cathedral hosts Christmas oratorio on 24 November

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris hosts Jean-Charles Gandrille's Oratorio de Noël on 24 November 2026. The concert brings the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, a narrator and instrumental ensemble into one of France's best-known Gothic churches.

Christmas oratorio comes to Notre-Dame Cathedral

The performance begins at 8.30pm on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at the cathedral on 6 parvis Notre-Dame. Musique Sacrée Notre-Dame de Paris presents the programme, which is listed as a Christmas concert and sacred music event.

Émilie Fleury directs the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, with Trio K/D/M and Pierre Val as narrator. The work by Jean-Charles Gandrille is described as an original composition inspired by the world of the fairy tale, bringing children's voices, a narrator and instrumental forces together in a Christmas setting.

The official concert listing for 24 November places the event at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. A second programme notice from Paris diocese gives the same date, time and venue.

Gothic architecture frames the new composition

The concert takes place inside a cathedral whose principal construction began in 1163 and was largely completed by 1345. The building is one of France's oldest Gothic cathedrals and remains a state-owned monument.

Notre-Dame Cathedral is also a listed historic monument in France and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property Paris, Banks of the Seine, inscribed in 1991. The concert therefore places a contemporary Christmas work inside a building shaped by medieval construction and later restoration, including major nineteenth-century works directed by Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.

The cathedral's religious function remains part of the setting. Its interior contains transept rose windows, votive sculpture, the grand organ, paintings in the chapels and a treasury holding works assigned to worship. These features distinguish the concert venue from a conventional concert hall and connect the programme with the building's continuing use.

Visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Oratorio de Noël takes place at Notre-Dame Cathedral, 6 parvis Notre-Dame, on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 8.30pm.
• The event is a ticketed concert presented by Musique Sacrée Notre-Dame de Paris, with the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, Émilie Fleury, Trio K/D/M and Pierre Val named in the programme.
• The cathedral stands on the Île de la Cité in central Paris. The confirmed public transport options include Cité station on metro line 4 and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame station on RER lines B and C.
• The venue is a large historic church with Gothic vaults, chapels, rose windows and a grand organ. Visitors should expect a religious building rather than a purpose-built concert venue.
• French is the official language of France, and the national currency is the euro.

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Frequently asked questions about Notre-Dame Cathedral

When does the Oratorio de Noël take place at Notre-Dame Cathedral?

The concert takes place on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 8.30pm. It is presented at the cathedral by Musique Sacrée Notre-Dame de Paris.

What is the Oratorio de Noël at Notre-Dame Cathedral?

It is a Christmas oratorio by Jean-Charles Gandrille, performed by the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris with Émilie Fleury, Trio K/D/M and Pierre Val.

Where is Notre-Dame Cathedral and how do you get there?

The cathedral is on the Île de la Cité in Paris. Cité metro station on line 4 and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame on RER lines B and C are confirmed transport options.