The church of Desvres, unique in the North

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The Heritage Mission for the preservation of heritage in danger, led by Stéphane Bern, revealed the amount of aid granted to the 100 sites selected in 2024. This year, only one church in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais will benefit from assistance from the Heritage Loto. This is theSaint-Sauveur de Desvres church, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, who will be paid €150,000 for his work.

7th edition of the Heritage Loto

Before the end of 2024, 26.1 million euros will be donated by the State to the Heritage Foundation, from the 7th edition of the Française des Jeux Heritage Loto. Of this sum, 7.5 million euros have already been granted to the 18 emblematic sites of the regions during the 2024 European Heritage Days.

Today, total aid of 18.6 million euros is granted to the 100 departmental sites. For Pas-de-Calais, only one location was chosen: the St-Sauveur de Desvres church, near Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Porcelain, local talent

Destroyed in 1597 by the Spanish, then rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century, it was again in ruins in 1772 and restored at the beginning of the 19th century, particularly between 1875 and 1896, to take on its current appearance.

Desvres is known for its know-how in porcelain through the ceramics museum and the arts and crafts village. The church also bears witness, in all its interior decoration, to this activity: decorations of the arches and pillars, table of the dead of the First World War, but above all the panels of the Stations of the Cross protected as Historical Monuments, in large sandstone lights manufactured between the wars by a company from Desvres.

The humidity is raging

But the church suffers from major humidity problems, located within the Caps et Marais d'Opale Regional Natural Park. It had to be authorized to close to the public. Cracks appeared on the arches and vaults, plaster decorative elements fell, with even a collapse in April 2019 of a portion of the vault on the north aisle.

Work to repair the zincworks and rainwater drainage networks was carried out in 2018 and 2019. Today, a decisive phase of work focuses on the bell tower (frame, roofing). Next will come the repair work on the interior vaults, the framework and the roof of the nave.

For the North, the Bern Mission has chosen the former Fosse Flines n°2 in Anhiers which will be supported for an amount of €170,000.

Since the first edition in 2018, the Heritage Mission has helped more than 950 sites with their restoration work.

To apply for the selection of departmental sites for the 2025 edition of the Heritage Mission, applications must be submitted before February 28, 2025. The Heritage Foundation also collects funds for the Desvres church.

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