For the first time in 240 years, the chapel of Sainte Marie Abbey hosted a celebration to mark the completion of the first phase of renovation work on the 13th century building.
Faced with the large crowd (nearly 300 people), the altar was placed at the entrance of the Chapel in order to allow the mass to be followed outside the walls of the building.
“In 1782, reminds Father Emmanuel before beginning the office, Monsignor Emmanuel-Louis de Cugnac had to close this Abbey. And since that day, no mass has taken place in the heart of the Abbey. In 240 years, it is therefore the very first mass that takes place, hoping that a multitude of others can take place. Maybe as I have already been asked for a marriage.”
The abbey has benefited from funds from the DRAC (regional directorate for cultural affairs) and the Loto du Patrimoine via the Bern mission. More than one million euros have already made it possible to perpetuate a building in a state of ruin in 2019 and to renovate the refectory of the Moines.
– Olivier Duke
“The roof was long gone and the rain was falling directly on the vaultsrecalls François Neveux, professor emeritus at the University of Caen. One day or another, she would have collapsed. What is interesting from an architectural point of view are the very close links with Bayeux Cathedral. The nave of the cathedral built in the middle of the 13th century inspired this church. It is a very important element of Norman heritage.”
This mass of the Assumption is not insignificant since the abbey is consecrated to the Virgin Mary. It makes it possible to celebrate the possibility once again of bringing people into the Chapel while waiting for the end of the first phase of the work.
– Olivier Duke
“We wanted to mark the occasion because the building is no longer in danger, emphasizes Jérôme d’Anglejan, who considers himself more the custodian of the place than its owner. Two years ago the gable wall was just waiting to crumble. We now have a stabilized building that will leave our successors alone, we hope for a few centuries. before adding : the slightly more official inauguration of the heart will take place during Heritage Days on September 16, 17 and 18.”