The famous Paris cathedral Notre Dame has been decked out with a brand new set of lights. Designers say the new installation is bringing many parts of the church out of the shadows.

It's one of the most celebrated landmarks in the world - the Notre Dame Cathedral, a must see for any visitor to Paris. Now, church-goers, priests and tourists alike will be guided by a completely new set of lights inside the building.

The aim is to reveal parts of the cathedral that have long been in very low light, or in complete shadow - making them difficult to be fully appreciated.

More light is now cast on renowned works such as the statue of the Virgin and Child - one of 37 representations of the Virgin housed by the cathedral.

"The lighting should be here only to highlight the architecture of the cathedral," said Christophe Bresson from Dutch company Phillips, which supplies and fits the lights.

Chandeliers now carry LED bulbs, and stained glass windows come alive no matter what time of day.

"Before, the lighting here was consuming 140 kilowatts. Consumption of electricity was high, because the cathedral was operating from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and even then the result wasn't satisfying, because most of the time the cathedral was in half-light. With these LED lights, we are at maximum of 30 kilowatts," Bresson said.

The installation was designed by lighting designer and director of photography, Armand Zadikian. He says the previous lighting cast much of the cathedral in shadow, hiding many of its treasures.

"I was working on a printed plan of the cathedral, but when I was on site I realised that the cathedral itself was telling me where the spotlights should be placed to enhance it," Zadikian said.

Visitors at the cathedral today are giving a thumbs up to the new system.

"The sensation of stained glass is more beautiful, more clear and more, even possibly, acute," a visitor said.

Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most visited monuments in France. In 2013 it hosted more than 13 million visitors, with an annual average turnover of 30,000 people each day.

Last year, Notre Dame celebrated its 850th anniversary by installing new bells.