French President collects money for religious buildings
The damaged church is seen following an overnight earthquake in La Laigne, France, on June 17, 2023. Photo AFP, Thibaud Moritz
Western Europe
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, asks for money. He holds a collection for “religious heritage”, especially for old churches.
In total, Macron wants to raise 200 million euros in four years, Le Monde writes. The money is meant for the maintenance of church buildings, in particular, small churches that are at risk of lagging behind.
In total, about 3,000 churches dating from before 1905 are in a state “which gives rise to fear for their preservation”, the President said on Friday, as reported by Capital. According to Macron, the ancient buildings are a heritage people are attached to, “whether we believe or not.”
Urgency
Small church communities often do not have the resources to pay for sufficient maintenance on the buildings. Therefore, the State will now help them. French municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants are eligible for a grant, and municipalities in the overseas territory which have fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
The action will start on Friday. People can give money via an online donation via the Fondation du Patrimoine. The Fondation will also select the projects that need the money the most, Le Point reports. It will maintain the criteria of “heritage interest of the building”, “urgency” and “the question of use, which must be open to concerts, exhibitions and conferences”.
Subsidy
The announcement comes amid a series of measures to protect church buildings. The French government also announced that public authorities could subsidise measures that make churches built after 1905 more sustainable, and the President confirmed that a protection campaign would be launched with new classifications for registrations of historic monuments. A registration protects a building.
The head of the Sacred art department of the Conference of Bishops is happy with the announcement. “This corresponds to a reality and meets needs”, he says, as reported by Le Point.
Also, Edouard de Lamaze, President of the Religious Heritage Observatory, agrees. He points out that the value of the buildings “goes far beyond the religious framework and is part of the daily life, the past and future of the French.”
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