6.6 million euros. This is the amount of the endowment announced by the Heritage Foundation to 100 French religious buildings, “representative of different historical cults”. Targeted sites because they require “d“important work, often urgent”.
“Of these 100 buildings, 61% are not protected as historic monuments, 55% are closed to the public or in danger, and almost 50% are located in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants”specifies the organization in a press release, which also indicates: “The allocations have been calculated to cover the financing needs of the projects, that is to say: the cost of the work once subsidies and private aid requested or obtained have been deducted, the planned self-financing and the amount collected by local collection .”
Emergency work for the Sauze church
Among the selected buildings is theNotre-Dame de la Colle church in Sauzein the Alpes-Maritimes.
A construction site is underway there, both for emergency work on the bell tower but also to restore the church.
Indeed, as we indicated a few months ago, the Sauze church dates from the 13th century and has a square and massive bell tower which replaced the old wall bell tower in the 19th century. But over time, this bell tower, very heavy and built on too soft ground lacking cohesion, gradually cracked and began to lean. To the point of threatening to collapse and endangering half of the village below.
Its deconstruction therefore began in 2023 and access to the building has been prohibited for several years.
Evenos church plagued by waterproofing problems
Also present in the list of beneficiaries of the Heritage Foundation: theSaint-Joseph du Broussan church in Evenosin the Var.
Dating from the 18th century, the building is perched at an altitude of 300 meters in the small hamlet of Broussan in Evenos, and remains important in the life of the parishioners of the commune.
A call for donations had already been launched in 2021 in order to restore its roof and frame, which was plagued by waterproofing problems.
This endowment awarded by the Heritage Foundation is an all the more symbolic gesture as it comes one month before the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, the work of which was entirely financed thanks to public generosity.
More “despite this substantial aid, 5.4 million euros are still missing to cover the total financing needs and permanently save these 100 buildings”concludes the Foundation, which reminds that collections remain open at www.fondation-patrimoine.org/sauve.
