Churches under threat | France 2 | Envoyé Spécial

Does France have the means to preserve all of its churches?At Saint-Georges-les-Gardes, near Anger, a taboo has been broken. Two years ago the municipal council pulled down the church. The images of its demolition are impressive. The building dated from the XIXth century and was in need of restoration. But it required more than a million euros worth of work. Too expensive, according the city hall.Since the end of the 90s a dozen churches have been torn down. But perhaps this is only the beginning. The communes, who are the owners of the 45,000 churches built before 1905 are finding it increasingly difficult to pay for restoration.We investigated the imminent demolition of two churches: in Gesté, and in Valanjou in Maine-et-Loire. Because of lack of means, these small communes cannot cope with the expense of restoration. Villagers, however, are mobilising to oppose the demolition of their church.How many churches are threatened in France? Astonishingly, no one has drawn up a list. Neither the State, nor the Church. The clergy does not finance restoration work because it doesn’t own these 45,000 churches in France. It is only responsible for buildings constructed after 1905?a mere 2,000 churches.There remains one solution for finding the money: go and look for it where you can find it. That is, in the private sector. Churches have been sold to be turned into restaurants, furniture stores, lofts or even nightclubs.Many small, country churches, whose heritage value has yet to be recognised, are under threat. Short of a miracle.