Le Figaro Bordeaux
On this Thursday, squatting at the foot of an ordeal in the cold and damp fog of a Dordogne adorned with winter, Jeanne Cumet and Alexandre Caillet rub together vigorously.
For these two members of SOS Calvaires, getting their hands or pants dirty is secondary to their mission: cleaning the “Islam” tag written on Christmas night under the patibulum of the Catholic oratory located at Gué de Jaye in Saint- Pantaly-d’Excideuil.
“It’s a very good initiative, it will do good
,” rejoices Lucille, 38, who lives opposite.
For this neighbor, who nevertheless
“is not of religion”
, passing this deteriorated Montjoie every day was heartbreaking.
“Each time, I was shocked.
It's not my definition of respect to see this ordeal tagged with this message.
We don’t get used to that and we’re not going to get used to that
,” confides the mother of a little girl,
“who fortunately”
is just starting to read.
A feeling that this French woman does not seem to be the only one to share: on the busy road, several residents congratulate with a smile the work of these two young people with rolled up sleeves.
Also read “Tomorrow land of Allah, today land of disbelievers”: 2 new ordeals tagged in Dordogne
These crosses at the crossroads are there for a reason: they are landmarks.
They represent the memory of the fathers of our fathers of our fathers.
Alexandre Caillé, general director of SOS Calvaire
Sanding the cross while trying to preserve the cullet, Alexandre Caillé, the general director of SOS Calvaires, is as happy to remove the degrading inscription as its existence saddens him.
“These crosses at the crossroads are there for a reason: they are landmarks.
They represent the memory of the fathers of our fathers of our fathers, they are in people’s homes, and we say: “To get to the house, to the cross, you turn left”.”
So, for the association which has made the preservation of this small religious heritage its vocation, their lack of maintenance and their degradation illustrate a certain French negligence.
“We are welcomed as saviors by the inhabitants wherever we go, and this, for reasons which go well beyond religious considerations: we take care of their commune, of the beauty of their village, which contributes to that of the country”
, writes Alexandre Caillé in a letter recently addressed to the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, consulted by
Le Figaro
.
Fighting to preserve France with its million Montjoies
“victims of time and indifference”
, SOS Calvaires, which renovates more than one per day thanks to donations and the work of volunteers, thus offers its services to the State .
A welcome expertise and strength for Quentin Marty, owner of this ordeal in Saint-Pantaly-d'Excideuil which he had not yet found the time to renovate for personal reasons.
“With the dirt of winter, it wasn't visible to the naked eye at first, but if the inscription had been written in pink, I would have cleaned it right away
,” confides this believing duck breeder, came to lend a hand to SOS Calvaire, struggling to wash the cross of its black bomb stains.
“Even if we’re not practicing, it’s shocking.
In the spring, I will go get a sandblaster and we will give it a makeover for this ordeal
,” promises the farmer, hoping that his oratory will no longer be damaged.
The perpetrator is still running
Since the revelation by
Le Figaro
of the discovery by SOS Calvaires of this tagged Catholic cross in Saint-Pantaly-d'Excideuil, two weeks ago, an investigation has been opened by the national gendarmerie.
Two complaints were also filed by the mayors of the affected communes of Dordogne, who had their three damaged ordeals cleaned.
However, the perpetrator(s) are still at large.
On Thursday, the SOS Calvaires delegation discovered a fifth cross, placed in 1879 and vandalized in Coulaures, less than seven kilometers from the one it was going to clean.
The name “Allah” is also displayed on this new degraded Calvary.
A fifth tagged Calvary was discovered by SOS Calvaire on Thursday on a road in the town of Coulaures.
Marie-Hélène Hérouart / Le Figaro
“Writing and painting are the same. We have no proof and we must let the gendarmerie work, but we can assume that it is the same author
,” analyzes Jeanne Cumet.
“Whatever the tags, I find it aesthetically deplorable and even more so here where there is religious proselytism,”
reacts the closest neighbor and presumed owner of this cross
to Le
Figaro .
“What is disturbing is that these are small roads where few people pass
,” adds the one who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of
“an escalation or an outbidding”
.
Not sure if he owns it (he believes that it belongs to the town hall), this atheist Périgord is therefore not sure whether to file a complaint.
In connection with both, the SOS Calvaire association - which travels the French countryside in a car displaying the motto
"Stat crux dum volvitur orbis"
(in French: the world turns, the cross remains, Editor's note) - , she has already committed to restoring the damaged Catholic cross.