
On December 9, 2024 the François Guizot-Institut de France Prize was awarded to Maryvonne de Saint Pulgent for her book entitled:
La Gloire de Notre-Dame, La foi et le pouvoir, (The Glory of Notre-Dame: Faith and Power), published in French by Gallimard .

Broadcast live by the global media, the fire of April 15, 2019, sparked worldwide emotion, attesting to the universal glory of Notre-Dame de Paris, celebrated since the 12th century through texts, images, and music. The boldness of its architecture makes Notre-Dame the archetype of a Christian sanctuary and a symbol of Parisian elegance in medieval illuminations. Until the Renaissance, it was one of Europe’s great intellectual centers, home to a doctoral school where Abelard taught, from which the University of Paris emerged, and where Western music was invented.
Victor Hugo added a literary and fantastical dimension to its legend, which in turn inspired the artistic modernities of the 19th and 20th centuries. Built as the Capetian dynasty rose to prominence, Notre-Dame became a site of shared power between the king and the bishop, rivals in temporal authority but united against the imperial ambitions of the popes. The first Estates General, convened by Philip the Fair in 1302 at Notre-Dame to proclaim the independence of the French Church from Rome, made it the birthplace of Gallicanism.
Through its sacred dimension, it also served as a place of legitimization for the monarchy, hosting dynastic events, royal and heroic funerals, military victories, and peace treaties. It later found its place in the liturgy of republican power. The cathedral, classified by UNESCO, is the one bequeathed by Viollet-le-Duc’s restoration: the debate over its spire, lost in the fire, shows the need to reassess this key figure of modernity.

Maryvonne de Saint-Pulgent, born Maryvonne Jeanne Le Gallo, is a French senior civil servant, administrator, professor, and musician. A literature graduate, she pursued further studies at Sciences Po and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA). Her career began as a legal advisor at the Paris Administrative Court before joining the Council of State.
Between 1993 and 1997, she served as Director of Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, a period marked by her reflections on cultural policy, detailed in her book Le gouvernement de la culture (1999). Since 2007, she has chaired the Ministry of Culture’s History Committee.
In parallel, she teaches cultural policy at Sciences Po and Aix-Marseille III University. She also holds positions as chair of the boards of the Opéra-Comique and the National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information (IGN), while serving on several other boards, including those of the Musée d’Orsay and the French National Centre for Cinema (CNC).
An accomplished musician, she won a first prize in piano and taught music at the Sorbonne. A member of the Academy of Fine Arts since 1993, she has also worked as a columnist for Le Point and a producer at France Culture.

View the video recording of the ceremony (in French).

Read Xavier Darcos’ speech, chancelier de l’Institut de France

Read Stéphane Coste’s speech, descendant from François Guizot and president from the association François Guizot

Read Eric Roussel’s speech, president of the jury

Read Maryvonne de Saint Pulgent’s speech, laureate from the Guizot-Institut de France 2024 prize