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Emmanuel Macron announced the opening of a collection which aims to raise 200 million euros to restore thousands of religious buildings in danger. In practice, this would mainly concern churches.
In the town of Bascons (Landes), the chapel bells may no longer ring. “We see that with the infiltrations the ceiling has partly collapsed, plus all the paints which are crumbling in successive layers“, describes a resident. It would take at least 180,000 euros to restore the building, well beyond the village’s budget.
5,000 churches concerned
Aid will be offered by the State to municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants. “These are buildings which are at the heart of our villages, which carry a history, to which the French are very attached. These bell towers are landmarks in our landscapes, we cannot accept that these places fall into ruin“, declares Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture, on RTL. 5,000 churches classified as endangered could be restored, such as the Notre-Dame de Paradis basilica near Rennes. The work, which costs one million euros, is 50% covered by the State. Emmanuel Macron must announce a tax deduction system: donations from individuals to religious buildings would be partially subtracted from tax.