“There is a small problem with the Saint-Denis church”begins Sacha Hewak, mayor of Sézanne, this Wednesday, September 25, 2024 in the evening. “We have small pieces of plaster from the nave that have fallen onto the bays of the church. They are five or six centimetres in size.”he says. And to announce: “As a precautionary measure, I prefer to close the church until work is carried out.” A municipal decree will be issued to this effect. The Saint-Denis church will therefore be closed to the public from this Thursday, September 26.
“I don’t want to take any risks. With the placo falling®it can be dangerous if someone gets hit on the head from 10 meters, especially with the speed…”continues the chief magistrate. Initially, all the bays were secured. “We sacrificed four of them”he says.
Even though this is an emergency measure, there is no immediate danger. “A lot of people are starting to say anything and everything about the church, like it’s in danger of falling down. There have been major works that have been carried out. The last ones date back to 2006 or 2008 if I remember correctly. The place where the plaster fell off is a site that was rehabilitated 20 years ago. It’s not linked to any deterioration of the building.”assures Sacha Hewak.
The first consequences are that the faithful will no longer be able to go to the religious building. Masses will be modified. “I informed Father Vejux. A mass will still be celebrated, but in the chapel of the Récollets convent. The establishment is still sacralized.”points out the mayor. The Baroque Festival concerts, which were to be held in the church between October 4 and 6, will be moved to another venue. “I have informed Mr. Rousseau who is organizing the festival. A solution will be found to ensure that the concert goes ahead.”specifies the mayor.
“The place where the plaster fell is a site that was rehabilitated 20 years ago”
Saint-Denis Church will not reopen its doors until work has been carried out. “Today, we need to have an assessment carried out by an architect from the Bâtiments de France since it is a listed site. Unfortunately, it takes time to get an appointment. We are facing an administrative problem because while we wait to get the approval of the Drac (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs), I cannot confirm the amount of the work and I cannot engage the project management.”he explains.
This Wednesday, the mayor of Sézanne sent registered letters to the prefect of Marne, the sub-prefect, the president of the Grand Est region, the Drac services and the Architects of Buildings of France. His hope: to speed up the process.
Work to be planned
Once the various authorizations have been given, what work will need to be carried out? “We conducted a study two years ago on the work that was necessary. The building is in good condition. I want to carry it out as quickly as possible, particularly by resorting to borrowing. The loan was already being considered before the event.”explains Mayor Sacha Hewak.
On the south face, “There are leaks. Stained glass windows are at risk of falling. At roof level, some repairs need to be done. When we had the presentation of this study, it was possible to envisage five phases. The one called “priority” is of the order of €250,000 from memory. But there was no absolute urgency”he insists.
