In danger, this church in La Manche will benefit from a grant from the Heritage Foundation

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In April 2024, thechurch of Sainte-Cécile (Manche) had been selected for the national rescue collection of the religious buildings in danger.

Ce Tuesday November 12, 2024the Heritage Foundation announced that the town will benefit from a grant of €100,000one of the three most important in Normandy out of the five monuments selected.

The allocations were calculated to cover the financing needs of the projects, that is to say: the cost of the work after deducting the subsidies and private aid requested or obtained, the planned self-financing and the amount collected by local collection.

Major restoration project

As early as 2019, a subscription was launched for restore this communal heritage which is not listed as a Historic Monument. The previous year, a diagnosis had noted “a weakening of the framework, the nave and the choir, a sliding outwards of the sand pans” but also “water infiltration in the roof which caused a deterioration of the ceilings and interior coatings”.

In 2023, the municipality launched a restoration site. The bell tower was rebuilt and the repair of the framework and roofing undertaken in 2024. “We are also reworking the nave by reconstituting it in wood as originally. For the moment, we are not touching the choir,” said Françoise Cahu, mayor of the town of 830 inhabitants.

The condition of the building had forced the municipality to close the building to the public. The €610,000 project is thus helped by the national collection launched by the President of the Republic during the 2023 heritage days. It benefited from the Recovery Plan and assistance from the Department. It constitutes a first step in the renovation of the church which will continue in the coming years, particularly at the level of the choir.

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