Mobilize the municipalities for rural religious heritage

“Note us the churches that need an urgent restoration and involve your town halls in our competition!” If you are concerned about the future of that of your village, this call, launched by Olivier de Rohan-Chabot, president of the safeguarding of French art-foundation which supports the restoration of religious heritage and which is a member of the jury of the Pèlerin Pèlerin du Patrimoine (GPPP)-should concern many French people.

The safeguarding signed in July 2025, an agreement with the Ministry of Culture to launch a new national collection of donations in favor of the preservation of rural religious heritage. Indeed, since the speech held in Saumur-en-auxois by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, in 2023, on this important question for the future of our territories, the Heritage Foundation-another major player in this field and other partner of the GPPP-, has opened an online collection. However, the state seeks to go faster by activating other levers in parallel, in order to better educate the population of popular patronage all over France.

Vote for your church from October 23

It is first a question and until October 12, 2025, to offer mayors of municipalities of less than 2,000 inhabitants to submit a file concerning a church restoration project of which they have the heavy load as owner.

Naturally, all local associations engaged in the safeguarding of their assets can relay this call to mayors and help them prepare for their file. Backup members are also mobilized for this task.

Three candidate files will be selected for each region. Then, between October 23 and November 16, 2025, all French people will be able to vote online to elect the church from their choice which will benefit from the donations collected.

“Our main criterion for the pre-selection of files is of course the urgency of the work to be carried out,” adds Olivier de Rohan-Chabot. But we will also look at the beauty of the building, its historical interest and above all, the involvement of the population to make it live and to maintain it. ”

A competition open to heritage “neither listed nor classified”

The safeguard will examine the files with the Ministry of Culture and the list of candidates for popular voting will certainly include, classified or registered buildings for historic monuments, but also heritage “neither registered, nor classified, and therefore which does not usually benefit from state aid”, insists the president of the safeguard which specifies: “It is still the case of 80 % of religious buildings!”. From November 16, 2025, the winning file, in each region, will benefit from the opening of a subscription to bring together a budget allowing it to restore the church.

The safeguard shares with all the members of our jury of the Grand Prix Pèlerin du Patrimoine, this long -term commitment: invite the French to appropriate their local heritage and to maintain it to better transmit it to future generations.