Par
Erwan Gendry
Published on
Nov 10, 2024 at 6:16 a.m.
See my news
Follow Sablé News
In Morannes (Maine-et-Loire), the church, the religious building, is experiencing dark hours after 1,000 years of existence. Closed to the public since April 2023 “in order to prevent the worsening of disorders on the elevations”, this listed building under Historical Monuments now has silent bells.
“At the end of October, during the night, part of one of the four columns located at the level of the bell tower gave way. If the part that fell fell on the roof of the church, we were forced to stop the bells. The repeated heavy vibrations could be the cause of this deterioration,” confides Jean-Marie Cardoën, the mayor of Morannes-sur-Sarthe-Daumeray.
Heavy work to come on the Morannes church
The end of this daily and traditional resonance puts the highest monument in Morannes even further on hold.
“The future of our church is a regular subject, whether at the town hall or in the streets of Morannes. This is the big project at the end of my mandatesays Mr. Cardoën. There has already been significant work between 1995 and 2011, notably on the bell tower, but also on the facade at the heart level. »
As this fall of 2024 begins, impressive cracks are apparent on the exterior and interior of the site. The latter are due to “ a ribbed vault installed in the 19th century and the tie beams of the main cut trusses », Specifies the 1st magistrate of the commune, according to the words of the architect who knows the place well.
€800,000 of work
Aware of the scale of the task, the municipal team took the matter head on.
“We are talking about around €600,000 for emergency work, which includes masonry, structural work and all roofing. We must add around €200,000 in development. We arrive at a good €800,000 of work», Estimates Jean-Marie Cardoën.
If the financing has not been completed to date, the town hall is multiplying the applications to obtain subsidies from the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, the Region and the Department. An agreement was also signed with the Heritage Foundation, in order to obtain donations.
“By putting all the aids end to end,I estimate that there will remain 4 to 500,000€ to be borne by the municipality», Recognizes the elected official.
“A church is fundamental”
In the best of all worlds, the mayor hopes “launch the call for tenders in spring 2025and begin work during the last quarter of the same year.”
President of the Association for Discovery and Protection of Heritage (ADSP) in Morannes and close to the file of the restoration of the church, Dany Clémot affirms: “A church is fundamental in a village, both on a religious and cultural level. »
The heritage discovery and preservation association
In Morannes, the heritage discovery and preservation association was born on the initiative of Dany Clémot, in January 2024. Made up of a team of eight people, this association takes part in the file relating to the Morannes church. Once restored, the ADSP would like a church open 7 days a week “to allow everyone to come and admire the architecture and stained glass windows of this religious building”.
On its scale, the association intends to help the restoration of the church. “We are taking support from residents of Morannes and elsewhere,” says Dany Clémot, president of the ADSP.
A long road of the cross with an enormous budget on the scale of a small town, but whose main actors are determined to see it through to the end.
Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.
