Guérande (Loire-Atlantique). On the Guérande peninsula, heritage restoration campaigns are linked. After the renovation of part of the ramparts, the Saint-Michel gate and the Sainte-Anne tower, it is the Saint-Aubin collegiate church to find its luster. “The building is not in danger but in an average state, it is dilapidated”, Pointe Estelle Girault, Director of Culture and Heritage of the City.
And for good reason, the collegiate church has not experienced restoration since the end of the 19th century, if not some specific interventions. Built in the 12th century and then rebuilt in the 14th century, the church was today dilapidated in places: zinc works out of use, deterioration of its cover and masonry, cracks, weakening of its stained glass windows …
The renovation project is therefore an ambitious: the site will take place over ten years, in an occupied site. “It is a constraint that we started because we did not want to have to close the collegiate church. It has a very active life, it is the second most visited cult building in the department ”, underlines Estelle Girault. And to disrupt tourism life as little as possible, the work will be suspended each year during the summer period. “It is also for this reason that we made the choice, with the project manager (the architect Pierluigi Pericolo), to shift the launch of the site from April to September. »»
The work should therefore start in the fall. They will be divided into six stages, each of an estimated duration between a year and a half and two years. The first four slices will focus on the enclosure and the cover, to prioritize the waterproofing of the building. Among the operations planned are the full renewal of the roof, the resumption of masonry and the restoration of access turrets at the level of the bell towers. To be able to maintain the usual operation of the collegiate church, the building will be restored by quarter. Until 2027 the interventions will relate to the northwest quarter and the Western facade, the parts most deteriorated by humidity. The renovation of the northeast, south-east and finally southwest quarters will follow. Then, the last two stages of the site will consist in restoring the interior parts (resumption of masonry, energy renovation, restoration of furniture and altarpieces). Operations which, again, will be split into several areas so that the collegiate church remains – at least partially – open to the public.
The site invoice is high: its overall cost is estimated at 10 million euros, with a first tranche valued at 1.8 million euros. The city can count on state aid (which subsidizes the total amount of work to 40 %) and the Pays de la Loire region (up to 20 %). “Unfortunately, we will not benefit from the department’s help for this project, deplores Estelle Girault. But we will try to compensate for this lack with patronage and we will adapt in office, even if it means recalibrating our upcoming plans. »»
