The Past Has Ears at Notre Dame – PHEND

PHEND relies on advanced techniques to resurrect Notre-Dame’s historical soundscapes. First, researchers collected on-site acoustic measurements and archival architectural data to build accurate digital models. These models enable virtual acoustic simulations—reproducing how choral singing, organ music or spoken word would resonate in specific historical phases of the cathedral. Using 3D audio and real-time auralisation, musicians have performed within virtual reconstructions of Notre-Dame’s medieval acoustics, allowing listeners to experience performances as they would have sounded from various positions inside the building. Additionally, the project created immersive public formats—such as sound-fiction storytelling (Looking for Notre-Dame), an immersive audio-guide (Notre-Dame Whispers), and a concert film (Vaulted Harmonies)—that combine narrative, history and sonic simulation. These accessible formats help overcome technical barriers and allow wide audiences to explore how Notre-Dame sounded across time, while serving as prototypes for heritage institutions seeking to combine digital reconstruction with cultural outreach.

PHEND united researchers from acoustics, computing, and the humanities in an ambitious interdisciplinary collaboration. Beyond 35 scientific publications, it led to pioneering outreach tools: a podcast, a virtual concert film, and the Notre-Dame Whispers mobile guide, which has reached over 2,200 active users, with 691 installs in the launch week alone. PHEND’s real-time acoustic simulation for live performance sets a new standard in immersive heritage research.

A distinguishing feature of the PHEND project lies in its deeply interdisciplinary methodology, bringing together researchers from acoustics, history, musicology, digital engineering, and heritage studies to reconstruct and interpret the sonic past of Notre-Dame de Paris. Beyond its scientific results, PHEND has set a benchmark in how immersive technologies can be used not only as research tools but also as powerful vehicles for public engagement and cultural transmission. This approach has opened new research avenues in performance-based acoustics and heritage perception. The project’s legacy continues through follow-up initiatives such as HeSoAN (on the sonic heritage of the Palais des Papes in Avignon), new doctoral work on Hildegard of Bingen, and the integration of immersive audio experiences into heritage sites. These prospects demonstrate the enduring impact of PHEND in shaping both scholarly discourse and public appreciation of historical soundscapes.

PHEND yielded over 35 publications across acoustics, musicology, history, and heritage studies. These reflect a deeply interdisciplinary collaboration model. No patents or formal standardisation actions were pursued. However, the scientific and methodological advances have informed new research projects and PhD work in immersive heritage studies and performance simulation.

When we think about great architectural achievements in history, such as Gothic cathedrals, their importance is strongly tied to their acoustic environment. The acoustics of a heritage site is an intangible consequence of the space’s tangible construction and furnishings. It is ephemeral, while also a concrete result of the physical nature of the environment. Through this project, we will explore how via measurements, research, and virtual reconstructions the acoustics of one of France’s most notable heritage spaces can be documented, reconstructed, and experienced by both researchers and the general public. Inspired by the project’s namesake (Phé, for the constellation Phoenix), the project focuses on the digital reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris, a world heritage site, bringing it back from the ashes, examining its evolution and importance in history, and working with the restoration team on its future. The consortium comprises research teams in SHS and STIC, with experience in historical, musical, architectural, and acoustical research.