The Romanesque church of Saint-Germain-l'Herm (Puy-de-Dôme) is today undergoing extensive renovation. Work is taking place in particular on its apse with the replacement of the slates, and some of the framework around the bell tower. A real second youth for this important church in the village.
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Since May, the bell tower of the church of Saint-Germain-l'Herm has disappeared under a pile of scaffolding. The teams' biggest challenge was supplying supplies to the top of the building, as Pierre Pascal, works manager, explains.« Casually, the spire of the bell tower is 34 meters high from the ground. We chose the rotary manuscopic with a winch system. This was the biggest complexity of the project. »
The work on the church of Saint-Germain-l'Herm is complex
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© R.Ho A Chuck/FTV
Nearly 13,000 slates were transported. The church was in dire need of a roof renovation. « We realized when we put up the scaffolding that the slate had pierrite. It is iron, which rusts over time and expands, eventually causing the slate to shatter. », indicates Pierre Pascal.
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The Romanesque church of Saint-Germain-l'Herm (Puy-de-Dôme) is today undergoing extensive renovation. Work is taking place in particular on its apse with the replacement of the slates, and some of the framework around the bell tower. A real second youth for this important church in the village.
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©R.Ho A Chuck/AC.Huet/B.Courtine/ France 3 Auvergne
Since then, the workers have been working on precise and repetitive work, says Christophe Debackere, roofing team leader. : “We don’t necessarily replace the wood, we recut all the slates. Knowing that there are 8 hips, we reproduce the same gesture 8 times over 14 meters high. » The slates are laid with crossed joints, one above the other to avoid infiltration. The louvers have also been replaced.
There is still work to be done but the town is considering another project, explains Chantal Desgeorges, mayor of Saint Germain-l'Herm : « The exteriors are not finished. There is still the south facade to be done, and then, in our future projects, we hope to redo the interior and preserve its magnificent paintings. We don't want to do plastering as is done in many churches. We will try to find funding to do all of this. »
It is these paintings that the town hall of Saint-Germain-l'Herm intends to preserve.
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© R.Ho A Chuck/FTV
This project was costed at nearly 244,000 euros financed by the State and local authorities, and partly by the municipality. The 10th century church, modified over the centuries, will thus find a second youth.
-Comments collected by Romy Ho-A-Chuck for France 3 Auvergne
