The list of the first 100 subscription users for endangered sacred heritage has been published

The Heritage Foundation continues to fundraise on its site to top up the funds.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced on Friday the publication of the list of the first 100 religious buildings that will benefit from the funds collected during the subscription launched by President Emmanuel Macron in September.

The head of state initiated this collection “to mobilize EUR 200 million over four years” on the occasion of European Heritage Day, in order to help small towns with less than 10,000 inhabitants (and less than 20,000 inhabitants abroad) in the preservation of religious buildings.

Among the 100 winning buildings, the list of which is published on the pages of the Heritage Register, which is entrusted with the collection and selection of buildings, “almost 50% are located in municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants, 60% are not protected as historical monuments, and 55% are closed to the public or are at risk”specifies the ministry in the press release.

5,000 buildings are at risk

“The funding need to save these 100 buildings is 15 million euros. To date, 2.3 million euros have been collected from 12,000 donors. Fundraising therefore continues at the Fondation du heritage to raise the missing 12.7 million euros”adds the ministry.

In the entire national territory, “5,000 religious buildings – out of about 50,000 identified places of worship – are in a sanitary condition, which raises fears for their sustainability and requires urgent intervention”continues.

To finance this work, the National Collection of Sacred Heritage benefits from a “increased rate of tax deduction for individuals from 75% up to 1000 euros, such as the subscription for the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris”he recalls.

The organizer of this subscription, the Heritage Foundation, determined the selection of projects in September “depending on the heritage interest of the building, the urgency and also on the question of purpose which must be open for concerts, exhibitions, conferences”.