Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire: empty houses to restore the church

“In Sainte-Suzanne, we don’t have any shops, but we have two things that work: the school, and our church”, smiles John Philippot, the president of the association of safeguard of the building. Flamboyant Gothic style, this charming little church dates from the 15th century. She is classified Historic monument since March 3, 1931. “A ranking that allows us to have state aid for the work, but these sites must be carried out by catering professionals, so the cost is higher”adds the president.

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Minimize the rest to be borne by the municipality

Amounts that can quickly become colossal, especially for a small town of just over 700 inhabitants: it takes 5 to 15,000 euros for example to restore a statue. So, for four years, the association has struggled and multiplied its actions. Meals, subscriptions with the Heritage Foundation
(for one hundred euros donated, two-thirds are deducted from taxes), ballot boxes in the church and the town hall (for those who want to donate smaller sums). And so, associative empty-houses, like the one organized this Saturday and this Sunday at the communal hall. Items as diverse as collections of postcards, CDs or crockery.

People give us objects to sell, set the price and in the long term, we get 30% of the sum of the sale. Every euro counts – John Philippot, president of the association for the protection of the church of Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire

The big restoration project concerns the roof of the religious building. It has suffered from bad weather and the weight of the years. A file is being compiled with the services of the Regional Department of Cultural Affairs (Drac). “Just the study, it takes 40,000 euros, a good part of which is paid for by the Drac. But the rest to be borne by the municipality still amounts to 8,000 euros. This is why we are trying to raise funds to cushion as much as possible. Because in addition, we expect a bill for energy and raw materials for the canteen that will explode”, specifies Antoine Aubry, the mayor of Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire. For the works themselves, we arrive at more than 100,000 euros. Beyond the finances, the first city councilor is delighted to see “that all actions are well followed. it creates a bond between the inhabitants.

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New subscription in early 2023

While awaiting the construction of the roof, other work has been undertaken:

• restoration of all the statues, including that of Saint-Geneviève (15th century)
• the entrance doors have been redone
• all lighting has been replaced with LEDs : “120 watts for the whole church, whereas six months ago, that’s what we consumed with a single bulb”, explains John Philippot. From now on, we can modulate the colors, illuminate a statue or a particular architectural detail.

About once a month, the parish priest of Torigny comes to celebrate a mass there in front of twenty to thirty faithful. From now on, the association wishes to restore the altarpiece of the church and a sundial located outside. Several friends, patrons and volunteers have already joined the cycling champion Laurent Jalabert, sponsor of the restorationwho has also come several times to the small town of Saint-Lois.

The second subscription with the Heritage Foundation ends at the end of 2022. A new one should start in early 2023 for the sundial and the altarpiece. You should know that out of the fifty or so subscriptions in progress in the Channel, more than three quarters concern churches.

It’s not just the volume, there’s also the total number of donations received. And behind, it is the participation of the citizens, of the municipality which shows the attachment of the inhabitants to their monument. The church tower remains a strong symbol – Jean-Pierre Husson, territorial delegate of the Heritage Foundation in the Channel

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Associative house clearance for the safeguard of the church of Saint-Suzanne-sur-Vire, at the communal hall, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.