Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor). It has been almost a year since the cathedral was freed from its impressive scaffolding. The comings and goings of workers, on the other hand, continued until last February. In Saint-Brieuc, the recent inauguration of the cathedral marks the end of one of the longest projects underway on Breton religious heritage. Since 2009, the building has been the subject of a vast restoration program led by architect Christophe Amiot, covering both its interior and its exterior. It indeed became necessary to address the structural fragilities of the cathedral which, having been built near an ancient swamp in the 13th century, had been damaged by humidity for centuries. Initially, the State allocated 5 million euros for its interior restoration, which was carried out until 2020. Over the years, the stones and whitewash had deteriorated, requiring the pavements, vaults and columns of the building to be redone. The transept and the apse have also been restored, as have the nave with its aisles as well as the wall paintings and decorations of the axial chapel. A large part of the work consisted of purging the cement joints installed at the end of the 19th century, which prevented the evacuation of humidity, and then restoring the polychrome whitewash which was underneath. Result: a much brighter cathedral, bathed in a soft ocher tone.
Then from 2022, the exterior facades were each restored: first the west side, then the south and north. This renovation, mainly focused on the masonry, cost 2.6 million euros and was more than half financed by the France Relance plan. Cleaning the facades and the two bell towers, repointing with lime, replacing the most damaged stones, etc., everything was done to prevent infiltration. At the same time, the electrical networks and fire safety devices were brought up to standard, before the launch of some new operations inside the cathedral: restoration of the sacristy, creation of a reception area, renovation of the western massif with its belfries… Enough to restore all its luster to the one which, with its two characteristic defensive towers, is one of the rare fortified churches in Brittany.
