French bishops publish major study to boost interest in faith, help save churches

PARIS (OSV News) -- After publishing the results of the General Estates on Religious Heritage project, French bishops navigate the restoration of historic churches not only to help preserve crumbling architectural pearls but also draw people closer to faith.

From monumental cities like France's second-largest, Marseille, to smaller towns in Normandy, people are rejoicing as their local Catholic heritage rises from an often dire state.

On Feb. 2, a new construction project began in Marseille, focusing on restoring the towering statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde. This monumental statue, over 12 yards high and gilded in gold leaf, overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and attracts more than 2 million visitors annually. In September 2023, Pope Francis visited the basilica, highlighting its significance.

Under France's 1905 law separating church and state, churches are the property of the state, with the church being their assignee. But the basilica of Marseille is an exception and is owned by the archdiocese.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille launched a campaign in 2024 to finance the work. An estimated $2.6 million was needed as approximately every 30 years the gilding on the statue of Notre Dame de la Garde has to be renovated to ensure its longevity. Donations poured in and the project could be started with the total sum still being collected.

In a more provincial example, on March 1, residents of Saint-Biez-en-Belin in Normandy, celebrated the reopening of their church after restoration work was carried out by the municipality.

Retired Bishop Alain Planet of Carcassonne and Narbonne oversaw the General Estates on Religious Heritage. The aim of the bishops' project, announced Sept. 12, 2023, and finalized December 2024, was to work in collaboration with public authorities to preserve this priceless heritage. The results of the massive survey were published in January.

"They highlighted the evolution of urbanization in France," Bishop Planet told OSV News.

"The population now lives mainly in cities, much more than in the past. New churches are being built in urban areas, but many rural churches are being closed in deserted villages. Mayors are torn between attachment to what is often the only monumental heritage of their municipality, and being overwhelmed by the burden it represents for the municipal budget."

The survey led to the production of two major documents. One is a guide to the patronage of religious heritage, intended to facilitate the procedures for those who propose to finance renovation work. The other one is a model agreement, prepared with the Office of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, to provide a framework for "new use" of churches, that can make it easier for municipalities to find the funds needed for renovation work.

"These additions are compatible with Catholic worship," Bishop Planet pointed out. "There are already churches where such activities or events take place, like welcoming the most disadvantaged, concerts, library book deposits, organ classes and more."

For the bishops, the important thing is that the churches remain free of charge. In the lead-up to the December reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral following its renovation, France's culture minister suggested introducing an entrance fee to visit the Paris cathedral, but the Archdiocese of Paris immediately rejected the proposal.

"A church is a living place where a community of the faithful gathers," Bishop Planet recalled. "There is no question of transforming our churches into the 'largest museums in France.' That would not reflect what is happening in our communities."

Beyond the buildings, the bishops' survey focused on the intangible religious heritage. This included processions, fraternal organizations and traditional religious festivals, which have attracted keen interest in recent years. The return of "harvest festivals" in some dioceses is one example.

Having been forgotten for decades, prayers for a prosperous harvest are back, especially in a context of difficulties in the rural world and farmers' concerns about climate change.

"Sometimes it is simply a kind of 'folklorization' of religious practices of the past," Bishop Planet said. "But it is also a way of drawing from the sources of the past the expression of a faith that struggles to express itself in contemporary language."

Intangible heritage includes pilgrimage routes, like the Tro Breiz, or "Brittany's version of Santiago de Compostela."

Forgotten since the 17th century, it was revived in 1994 by a secular association, which promoted it as a cultural and tourist route. Its rebirth led to Christian pilgrimages being organized there.

"Like pilgrims in the Middle Ages, you’ll stop in the nine towns that pay homage to its first bishops, from Rennes to Nantes via Dol, Saint-Malo, Saint-Brieuc, Tréguier, Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Quimper and Vannes," a Brittany tourism site advertises.

Similarly, the French routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain attracted only a few hundred pilgrims in the 1980s. Today, they are used by both nonbelievers and Catholics, and their success is growing, with over 32,576 people walking the famous Camino to Santiago from the French town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port alone, and a total of 10,000 French people completing the Camino in general, via all routes.

Other routes have recently been created, such as the Via Ligeria along the Loire, famous for its Renaissance castles. It links the west of France to the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrimage route to Rome, also rehabilitated in recent years.

However, for the French bishops, this taste for religious heritage can also help those who consider turning to faith in their lives. In 2024, a record number of over 12,000 people, both adults and adolescents, were baptized in France on Easter.

Many of them testified that France's religious heritage had had a major impact in triggering their faith journey.

Bishop Planet sees an underlying trend that deserves attention. "The taste for religious heritage is deeply rooted in the popular consciousness," he concluded. "It is a place for meeting and sharing with society. And sometimes it can also be a vehicle for conveying something of the Gospel."