Launched in June 2023 at the initiative of Emmanuel Macron, the Fondation du patrimoine’s major national collection has raised nearly €12 million to date thanks to 37,929 donors. The goal is to reach €200 million by 2027 in order to restore and reopen 1,000 religious buildings located in municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants (or fewer than 20,000 inhabitants overseas) over a period of four years.
This collection echoes the restoration project of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. “In the same way as for Notre-Dame, it is a question here of preserving the historical symbols of our territory: the religious buildings, which are at the heart of the life of towns and villages”explains Marthe Boulanger, director of patronage at the Fondation du Patrimoine.
An attractive tax scheme accompanies this initiative, offering donors a deduction of 65 to 75% of donations, with an annual ceiling of 1,000 euros for individuals. Contributions can be made by SMS, starting at 10 euros, with fixed amounts ranging from 20 to 1,000 euros or free donations, within the limit of the ceiling. The tax deduction rate is identical to that applied for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris.
This national subscription targets religious buildings requiring urgent renovation or restoration, particularly churches, although chapels, temples and synagogues are also concerned. The buildings must belong to the public domain, be of heritage interest and justify essential restoration work. Furthermore, the future use of the place after restoration must be compatible with its religious spirit, while allowing the organization of cultural events such as concerts or exhibitions.
The funds collected finance various types of work, such as the restoration of roofs, compliance with fire safety standards or the rehabilitation of stained glass windows, specifies the Heritage Foundation.
Donations are not allocated to a specific project, but centralized before being redistributed to selected projects. “The subscription for Notre-Dame worked well because the objective was clear. With the Heritage Lottery, the fun aspect encourages participation. Here, I think that the French would be more inclined to give if the projects were better identified, in order to monitor the use of the funds.”notes Senator Pierre Ouzoulias in The life.
In April 2024, Rachida Dati announced the list of the first 100 beneficiaries of this subscription. About a third of these sites are currently closed for security reasons and 60% are not classified as historical monuments, according to the Fondation du Patrimoine.
The Religious Heritage Observatory estimates that 50,000 religious buildings are in a state of deterioration, and that 5,000 could be abandoned or destroyed by 2030. Of the 100,000 religious buildings in France, 96% are Catholic. Among them, 60,000 belong to private owners (chapels, schools), while 40,000 are municipal properties. The 2,000 buildings constructed after the 1905 law belong to the Church.
