Le Figaro Nantes
It has been described as
“an emblematic element of Nantes’ religious heritage”
.
Its
“neo-Gothic style”
,
“the quality of its facade”
and
“its important bell tower which rises to almost 80m”
were praised by Olivier Chateau, elected in charge of heritage, in Nantes.
This Friday, during the municipal council, a deliberation was voted in favor of work concerning the Saint-Clément church built between 1839 and 1875 (replacing a previous one dating from the 13th century).
Between the restoration of the facade and the upgrading, the dedicated budget is 5.7 million euros.
“The diagnostics carried out lead us to undertake significant work
,” explained Olivier Chateau about this place of worship which has been experiencing structural problems for several years.
“The masonry of the western facade is seriously damaged, which led us to install protection devices to prevent stone falls on the public space”
.
Among the renovations which will begin in the fall and will be spread over 24 months, the program includes the restoration of the western facade, improvements to fire-fighting devices, better accessibility for people with reduced mobility, the implementation standards for electrical installations, the creation of a new emergency exit, and the moving of telephone antennas inside for greater aesthetics.
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Closure during work
“The services considered that it was becoming urgent,”
Father Hubert Vallet, parish priest,
told Le
Figaro .
The idea was
to “avoid being caught unexpectedly”
.
“In principle, this is good news from an owner who is trying to renovate
,” says the man of the Church, while the City has an important religious heritage.
In fact, this will require some organization because the building will be closed during the work.
Meetings were organized aimed at
“proposing alternative solutions to leave the church open”
.
But these were not retained.
“Some of the parishioners asked us to see if it was possible to maintain an activity.
This was examined with all of our services.
For security reasons, we cannot consider it
,” said Olivier Chateau during the municipal council.
“A fortnight ago I received a delegation of parishioners from Saint-Clément to tell them
. ”
According to him, the narrowness of the streets and the square would only have allowed exits
“in the construction zone, which we cannot authorize”
.
Also read “We couldn’t believe our eyes”: Nantes parishioners find stolen paintings from their church at second-hand dealers
“Two liturgical communities”
This announcement should have an impact on many faithful.
At least 1,200 people pass through the church door for Sunday mass, according to Father Vallet.
“There are two liturgical communities
,” specifies the member of the clergy.
Around
“200
people
” attend a mass according to the “Paul VI” rite (the most common today) and
“1000”
according to the “Saint Pius V” rite (liturgy according to the Tridentine rite in Latin, of the Saint Peter fraternity ).
With the bishop, consultations are underway to find an adequate solution suitable for everyone, both the future unchurched and the guests likely to welcome them.
On the website of the Saint-Pierre priestly fraternity of the diocese of Nantes, a press release on the work was published, as well as on the continuation of Sunday worship.
“We will know more at the end of this municipal council, and announcements will be made during the services on Sunday, February 4
,” it is mentioned.
Nothing has leaked yet.