France should charge visitors a small fee to see the Notre-Dame cathedral to help the country keep its world-famous churches and cathedrals in shape, the culture minister said. Rachida Dati told newspaper Le Figaro in an interview published late on Wednesday that by charging only 5 euros per visitor Notre-Dame could raise 75 million euros ($81 million) a year.

French ministers have raised the idea of charging tourists to enter Paris' world-famous Notre-Dame cathedral when it opens in December after a five-year restoration, a proposal that drew a rebuke from the city's diocese on Thursday.

The French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, wants to levy an entrance fee of five euros for tourists in order to fund restoration work of religious buildings. View on euronews