Two days after the fire, the reconstruction of the Church of the Immaculate Conception is already in mind

A fire ravaged the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer on Monday, September 2. The roof and bell tower collapsed. But two days later, the horror has already given way to the reconstruction project.

Two days after the fire at the Immaculate Conception of Saint-Omer, the faithful are already thinking about the future and of course about the reconstruction of the religious building. During a moment of prayer this Wednesday, September 4, the mayor of the city François Decoster sent a message to this effect.

“We saved it once, we will save it a second time,” he declared, in front of the fifty people gathered on the forecourt of the damaged church.

A “very quick” reconstruction

The damage is significant. The roof of the church was completely ravaged during the fire. The vault and the bell tower also collapsed. However, Father Sébastien Roussel specified on BFMTV: “We were able to save the most important thing, the tabernacle, the holy hosts.”

Since the fire, metal cladding has surrounded the church. Artworks and objects, such as statues, have been removed. Reconstruction is the next step for the religious building, although for the time being the municipality does not know how much money will be allocated to get it back on its feet. François Decoster hopes that reconstruction will begin “very quickly”.

“With the expert assessments that are underway, we will have a figure. Then, the conclusions of our insurance experts will also come,” he explained during a press briefing on Tuesday, September 3.

A call for donations launched

In 2018, the renovation work on the church cost five million euros. This time, the budget will be bigger. So the mayor is counting on everyone’s generosity.

“It is obvious that generosity will be useful and necessary to be able to rebuild as quickly as possible. It is important because there is a wave of emotions and a desire to ensure that everyone can participate to the best of their ability in the reconstruction which will require a significant budget,” he says.

The Heritage Foundation launched an appeal for donations on Tuesday, September 3, so that residents could participate. The kitty has almost reached 10,000 euros out of the 200,000 euros it hopes to collect.