The Saint-Martin church in Chaudeyrac, in Lozère, will receive €70,000 in aid from the Heritage Foundation

Five religious buildings in Occitania will benefit from a special fund from the Heritage Foundation to save them from predicted ruin.

Thus, the remarkable Saint-Martin church, in Chaudeyrac, in Margeride, dates from the 11th^e century, will benefit from aid from the Heritage Foundation of €70,000 out of a total cost of the work of at least €200,000. The work will initially consist of repairing the slate roof.

Subsidies

These €70,000 will allow the municipality to launch the restoration of the chapel, which was not necessarily planned immediately. “We’re going to put ourselves in order and think about launching them too”said the mayor.

Indeed, knowing that they should obtain aid from the Department to the tune of €50,000 as well as aid of €100,000 from the Rural Territories Equipment Grant (DETR), and that €2,330 in donations have already been collected from individuals with a goal set at €30,000, there will certainly be more money than will be needed to repair this roof.

If there aren't too many surprises during the work. Serge Romieu and Michèle Piejoujac, the mayor and his deputy in charge of the file, are planning a little wider than the estimate they have already had made, to compensate for unforeseen circumstances. “In 2020, for the renovation of the bell tower, the work was poorly estimated. We do not want this to happen again. We had to face €50,000 in unforeseen events.”

Finally, Michèle Piejoujac explained that she hoped to obtain a little help from the Region, thanks to the Regional Land Development Fund (FRAT). The request can only be made in 2025. Not counting their own budget, that of the municipality, which will be mainly dedicated to this upcoming renovation.

“Leave a trace”

If Serge Romieu and his assistant attach such importance to this project, it is also because they wish “leave a trace of [leur] mandate. We are not sure that the next ones will have the same desire. When the work is finally finished, it should last at least fifty years.” they rejoiced. The restoration will, among other things, maintain the intergenerational link and the living space that the building represents.

“This help will be very appreciable, it will help speed up the start of the work. We no longer have the choice but to carry them out, they added. And then, it proves that we are not forgotten and that our action is not in vain.”

Spring 2025

With the arrival of winter, the work should rather begin at the beginning of 2025 or even in the spring, in better climatic conditions, to end at the beginning of summer, ideally. “Once they start, it should go quickly”said the mayor of Chaudeyrac.

Then, a year and a half maximum later, the renovation of the chapel should take place because it is cracked, then, in the medium term, the change of the central rose window which lets day and air pass through, as well as the replacement from the door, through a new solid wood door.

In 2020, major work has already been undertaken on the church tower. The residents had been solicited and had contributed €13,000; significant help. This time, the project leaders communicated using flyers, panels and posters in the town. “The hardest part is finding the subsidies, said Michèle Piejoujac. I am also waiting for the work to start to prove to the residents that it will be done. This will surely motivate them to participate in the collection.” Indeed, donations can arrive at any time, that's not a problem. “The more money we have, the more work we can carry out”she concluded.

In support of the religious heritage of the villages, the Heritage Foundation announced that it had mobilized €16.7 million, of which €6.6 million will be redirected to 100 “little Notre-Dames” in French villages and small towns. In France, there are more than 50,000 places of worship, all religions combined, 80% of which are located in rural areas and nearly 10% are in a situation of danger.

To participate in the collection for the restoration of the Saint-Martin de Chaudeyrac church, click here.