While the first phase of the restoration of the church of Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye is still in progress, the estimate of the cost of the second phase of the work has just been revised upwards, as revealed by our colleagues of the Dauphiné Libéré this Friday. The estimate thus goes from just under 700,000 euros to… more than 5 million!
The cause ? The fragility of the stone used during the construction of the building, in the Middle Ages, mollassic sandstone – a local material. A fragility that we discovered during the construction. “The facade appears to be in good condition, but in fact the stone is corroded from the inside, explains Aymeric Perroy, director of culture and heritage at the Department of Isère. This means that at certain times the stone facade detaches and the sculpted elements are suddenly lost. The facade of Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye is above all an immense sculpture. Hence the cost: _each element is carved by hand_.”
– Department of Isere
If the first phase of the work follows its course – 2.5 million euros – it will be necessary to review the financing of the second phase. The Departmental Council of Isère is responsible for most of the work (44%), followed by the State (40%), the Region (15%) and the municipality (1%).
Protection of the facade against bad weather
But before moving on to the second phase of the work, the cost of which is skyrocketing, Jean-Pierre Barbier wants to make the protection of the facade against bad weather a priority. The president of the Department of Isère evokes “a roof”stating that “it will be the role of the architects to determine if this is possible”. “It would be _a definitive protection that would take up architectural elements that existed before but that no living person has seen_. In any case, things will be done with the Bâtiments de France; we will see with them what is possible, what is acceptable, and also what is acceptable to the population. It’s a beautiful project, which will mark the history of the abbey of Saint-Antoine, so it must be shared as much as possible.”
The project, it is understood, will be the subject of consultation between the various actors and funders. In the meantime, the interior of the church continues to welcome the public, as does the departmental museum of Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye.