the list of selected sites in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

A three-hundred-year-old bridge, a presbytery at an altitude of 2,042 m, a royal fort on the coast to be renovated… Six sites have been selected in the region and unveiled this Monday, September 2, for this new edition of the Heritage Lottery.

The 100 new winners selected for the new edition of the Heritage Lottery were revealed this Monday, September 2 by the Heritage Mission for the preservation of heritage in danger as well as the Ministry of Culture.

In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, six sites have been selected from all four corners of the region.

“They will benefit from the financial support of the seventh edition of the Mission Patrimoine games offer which is launched today. The amount of the endowment for each site will be announced at the end of the year,” indicates the foundation led by Stéphane Bern.

• The Queen Jeanne Bridge in Saint-Benoit

In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the Queen Jeanne Bridge, dating from 1728 and located in Saint-Benoit, has been designated. The structure “suffers from a lack of maintenance which makes it sensitive to bad weather and erosion of construction materials, leading to visible damage to the structure”.

The foundation base will be cleared of vegetation and cracked and fractured stones will be replaced during the restoration, which is expected to begin in December 2024 and continue until the second half of 2025.

Located near the National Road 202 “connecting the Côte d’Azur to the Northern Alps”, the municipality of Saint-Benoit (owner of the structure) plans to create secure access to its surroundings in order to “allow users of this road to stop and enjoy the bridge”.

• The presbytery of Saint-Véran

For the Hautes-Alpes, the Heritage Foundation is gaining altitude. The presbytery of Saint-Véran, nestled at an altitude of 2,042m, making it “the highest inhabited commune in Europe”, is seeking to find a second youth.

The church, listed as a Historic Monument and dating from the 17th century, and the adjacent cemetery form the entire premises with the presbytery. The latter is today in “a very degraded general state”.

“Its preservation requires sanitation work, renovation of its slate roof, masonry and replacement of the exterior woodwork. The rehabilitation will be exemplary and respectful of the memory of previous uses,” assures the Heritage Foundation.

The religious building is intended to house the town hall, the library, as well as a small apartment on the ground floor. 35,000 euros are also being sought via an online kitty to carry out this work, which should last one year, from autumn 2024 to autumn 2025.

• The royal fort of Sainte Marguerite Island in Cannes

Further down, on the Cannes coast, the royal fort on the Île Sainte Marguerite in Cannes is also awaiting rehabilitation work: consolidation of the ramparts and walls, restoration of the roofs of several buildings and urgent consolidation work on the south wing of the museum, around the semaphore tower.

This 17th century military square, which welcomes more than 80,000 visitors each year, hopes to “improve visitor reception”, “rehabilitate, by 2026, the Iron Mask and Fort Royal museum” and “create a secure walking tour circuit”.

3rd century dwelling, remains of a Roman settlement, site used in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, state prison under the Ancien Régime… The city of Cannes hopes to continue the history of the place and avoid its collapse.

• The Bastide des Bessons in Marseille

274,855 euros are needed for the Bastide des Bessons in Marseille to give itself a new history. Built in 1907, the building was bought in 2018 by the Association Une Terre Culturelle.

The aim is to make the place “an establishment open to the public” and “welcome young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and help them with their socio-professional integration” in Bouches-du-Rhône.

This year, in 2024, a fundraising campaign has been launched to find part of the sum: 80,000 euros. Like many sites in France, the spotlight on the Loto du Patrimoine will probably help boost the number of donations collected, even before receiving the endowment from the Fondation du Patrimoine.

• The Anglican church “All Saints Church” of Costebelle

A ruin in the Var soon to be renovated? The All Saints Church, located in the heart of the wooded district of Costebelle in the Var, is perhaps one of the most damaged sites in the region chosen by the Heritage Foundation.

Built at the end of the 19th century, the place of worship “bears witness to the influx of English people into Hyères, where in 1856 there were nearly 80 British families”. Today, access is strictly prohibited due to the danger and dilapidation of the site.

After being owned by different people for several decades, who did little or no maintenance on the premises, it was finally purchased by the town of Hyères in 2013.

Eleven years later, the church is on the road to rehabilitation with this nomination by the Heritage Mission which should allow work to begin at the end of 2024. “The owner municipality wishes to restore this place in order to host cultural events, such as meetings and exhibitions”, writes the Heritage Foundation.

• The Orangery of the Château de Thézan in Saint Didier

Finally, in Vaucluse, the restoration of the Orangery of the Château de Thézan, a former relaxation area of ​​a 19th century thermal establishment, is today the project selected by the Fondation du Patrimoine.

Here, work has already started with a first phase from the second half of 2023. The whole will cost €220,806 according to the Heritage Mission, while €58,546 has already been collected, either through donations (€22,275) or sponsorship and aid (€36,211).

“The Orangery, once rehabilitated, will resume its initial function as a Winter Garden and will allow the presentation of seasonal exhibitions. It could also serve as a reception venue, seminars or even a concert hall,” according to the Heritage Mission.