A religious building in the Lot, selected for endowment by the Heritage Foundation

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The Lot department is one of the top eight sites in'Occitanie – Midi-Pyrénées to see one of its religious buildings, theChurch of the Cordeliers of Gourdonto be retained as part of the grants paid by the Heritage Foundation.

In support of the religious heritage of the villages, the Heritage Foundation announces having mobilized €16.7 million. In this context, €6.6 million will be directed to 100 buildings in French villages and small towns. This first endowment comes symbolically one month before the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, the work of which was entirely financed thanks to public generosity.

Helping a mobilized municipality to save its heritage

The Cordeliers church, completed in 1287, was originally part of a monastery founded in 1251 by the lord of Gourdon, belonging to the mendicant order of the brothers of Saint-François, called Cordeliers because of the rope that They wore their gray cloth clothing over it.

During the Wars of Religion, the church and convent buildings were ravaged. During the Revolution, the convent was converted into barracks, then into a fodder store and powder mill. Under the First Empire, the church once again became a place of parish worship, then the architect Emile Toulouse erected a bell tower in 1896-1897.

Listed as a Historic Monument in 1929, the church was deconsecrated in 1950. Now deconsecrated, it opens its doors very regularly to host various events. It is a public place open to all, which encourages and highlights artistic creation and crafts.

– Start of work: 2024

– End of work: 2026

The strong points of the project

The Cordeliers church, deconsecrated, hosts cultural and commercial events: Christmas market, concerts, European Craft Days exhibitions, etc. It is precisely these various events that allowed the place to be saved from ruin. over the centuries. Now, it is important to avoid additional damage and ensure the safety of local residents and residents.

Thanks to this place, it is also a question of allowing the town of Gourdon to be more attractive and thus revitalize, for locals and tourists alike, the promotion of local art and crafts.

– Client: municipality of Gourdon

– Population : 3959 habitants

– Protection under historical monuments: registered

To find out more and to participate

Since the establishment of the exceptional tax system for the religious heritage of villages*, the Heritage Foundation has mobilized 16.7 million euros:

– 6.6 million euros via the national collection of the site “ fondation-patrimoine.org », to which were added other resources from sponsorships or legacies

– 10.1 million euros earmarked by donors for rescue operations presented by the Foundation teams:consult the map locating these projects.

The 100 religious buildings selected are representative of different historical cults. They require significant work, often urgently. 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.

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