Mission Patrimoine: 100 new historic sites in danger protected, including 17% of religious buildings

The Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, unveiled on Monday the 100 new sites selected for 2022 as part of the “Heritage Mission” entrusted to Stéphane Bern. Religious heritage comes first in this selection and represents 17% of the sites selected.

It is from the Château de Maison-Blanche, in Gagny (Seine-Saint-Denis) that the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, presented on Monday August 29 the hundred heritage projects selected for the year 2022 by the Heritage Mission chaired by Stéphane Bern since 2018.

This classic 2011th century residence, closed since XNUMX, and which is one of the new beneficiaries of this mission, will be rehabilitated to house a restaurant for young apprentices in catering, under the leadership of starred chef Thierry Marx.

A hundred new sites in a state of danger will benefit from the Loto du patrimoine, whether it is this castle in Gagny, a theater or a chapel. Thanks to everyone's mobilization and the energy of @bernstephane, alongside the State, this everyday heritage will come to life again! pic.twitter.com/H9O1Z3QTbs

—Rima Abdul Malak (@RimaAbdulMalak) August 29

"The Heritage Foundation makes it possible to link the history of each place with the future, which many countries envy us", declared the minister, stressing that France helps all those in the world who "attend the destruction of their heritage which cuts them off from their roots and their history”.

If, as every year, all categories of heritage are concerned, it is religious heritage that comes first, representing 17% of sites retained.

A dozen churches have been selected, for example the case of theChurch of Our Lady of Charité-sur-Loire in the Nievre. The place of worship built in the XNUMXth century which constitutes an “important stage on the road to Santiago de Compostela” is “recognized as a jewel of Romanesque art”.

Among the 100 sites selected in 2022, we can also cite the former priory of Saint-Romain-le-Puy (Loire), the Notre-Dame de Lorette church in Saint-Michel de Lapujade (Gironde), the hop dryer in Bèze (Côte-d'Or), the Eiffel footbridge of the Kermezen estate in La Roche-Jaudy (Côtes-d'Armor) or the maritime heritage of Audierne (Finistère).

In 2017, a mission to identify endangered heritage and seek new sources of funding to restore it was set up, giving rise to the "heritage lotto". Since then, “745 endangered sites have been helped. More than half have been saved or in the process of being saved, ”said Stéphane Bern.

Thanks to this lotto, more than 100 million euros (including 26 million for the 2021 edition) have already been collected for the benefit of the Heritage Foundation since 2018, according to the ministry.

And at least 4.800 sites in danger have been reported and millions of people take part each year in “Mission Patrimoine” scratch and draw games. This year, seven Loto draws will be dedicated to heritage from 5 to 17 September. For each grid of 2,20 euros, 0,54 euro will be donated to the Heritage Foundation. FDJ also launched a new edition of the illiko Mission Patrimoine scratch game on Monday.

Camille Westphal Perrier (with AFP)

Image credit: Shutterstock / Pecold / Church of Our Lady of Charité-sur-Loire in August 2005