Patronage in the service of heritage preservation: the example of the Saint-Denis basilica

The Saint-Denis cathedral basilica, necropolis of the kings and queens of France, houses the tombs of 43 kings and 32 queens, of Dagobert Iis to Louis XVIII. A founding monument of the Gothic style, it revolutionized European architecture. Two towers framed the facade, with a stone spire on the north tower, weakened after a hurricane and dismantled in 1846. Since then, this jewel of medieval architecture has never been reassembled. The State gave the green light in February 2017. In April 2021, an acceleration of this project was announced in order to take into account the timetable of the application of the city of Saint-Denis to obtain the label “European Capital of Culture » 2028. Although this application was unsuccessful, the dynamic to restore this medieval work continued.

Public funding and private aid

The first excavations and foundation work began in September 2021 and were completed in 2024. The excavations revealed more than 200 Merovingian and Carolingian tombs as well as around thirty exceptional Romanesque capitals. The first phase of the project to consolidate the bases of the north tower ended in the spring of 2024. The reassembly of the spire itself began in the fall of 2024 and should be completed in 2029. The Île-de region -France contributed 5 million euros to this major project. The Interdepartmental Solidarity and Investment Fund has released 22 million euros. The Greater Paris Metropolis contributed 4 million euros. The call for patronage helped to finance this renovation on which the city intends to capitalize as part of the national and international tourism development of its territory. Private funds came to supplement the budget, including Vinci, Icade, Engie and Airbnb.

A tax advantage

The result is a tax advantage for the companies concerned. The sponsoring company can benefit from a corporate tax reduction equal to 60% of the amount of the sponsorship action (CGI, art. 238 bis). The law does not impose any minimum amount of turnover. Likewise, no minimum amount is required for the donation made by the company. On the other hand, the system is capped. In fact, expenses are only retained within the limit of 5‰ of the company's turnover or 20,000 euros. If this threshold is exceeded or if the result for the current financial year is zero or negative, it is however possible to carry the surplus over to the following five financial years. In 2019, the tax reduction rate was limited for large companies to 40% for donations exceeding 2 million euros per year with the exception of donations allocated to helping people in difficulty.

Act as an actor in a territory

The preservation of heritage is a lever for sustainable development, a powerful territorial economic development tool. It allows the companies concerned to participate in the attractiveness of a territory, to involve its employees in a large-scale project destined to last over time and to promote a strong and atypical societal commitment to its customers and partners. In this regard, Airbnb's sponsorship, even if the sums paid (70,000 euros), are relatively small, is significant. The seasonal rental market is growing at a very sustained pace in Île-de-France. In 2019, there were around 120,000 advertisements in the Ile-de-France region in 2019 (Seasonal rentals in Île-de-France – pre-crisis situationMay 2021). The department of Seine-Saint-Denis totaled 6% of the total announcements, behind the department of Hauts-de-Seine which totaled 10% and the city of Paris which centralized 64% of the announcements.

Innovative popular sponsorship

To make up the 5 million remaining to be found, the actors in charge are counting on popular patronage. In 2016, an association Follow the arrow was created to pilot, under the chairmanship of the mayor of Saint-Denis, the reassembly of the spire of this jewel of Gothic art. An endowment fund For the arrow allowing crowdfunding of the project was created immediately. The association Follow the arrow signed an agreement with the Heritage Foundation in order to undertake an innovative popular collection. This fundraiser proposes to sponsor the stones of the spire by acquiring their digital binoculars on an interactive map of the monument and by offering the possibility of following the entire evolution of each stone in the construction site (size, installation); a world first in the context of the reconstruction of a historic monument. The site will be open to the public to discover contemporary professions in the restoration of historic monuments and delve into the know-how of yesterday's builders.

Tax reductions at stake

If individuals are subject to income tax or real estate wealth tax (IFI), the donations they make to the Heritage Foundation are partially deductible from their tax. They benefit from a deduction of 66% of the donation for their income tax, up to 20% of their taxable income. In terms of IFIs, they benefit from a tax deduction of 75% of the amount of their donation within the limit of 50,000 euros per taxpayer and per tax year. Please note that an exceptional tax reduction of 75% applies to income tax as part of the national collection launched by the Foundation for the benefit of religious heritage, within the limit of €1,000 per donor and per fiscal year. A reduction of 66% applies beyond that. It concerns donations made under this campaign between September 15, 2023 and December 31, 2025.