Mobilization for the restoration of a church in Saint-Omer, ravaged by fire

On September 2, a tragedy struck the Immaculée-Conception church in Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais). The roof and the bell tower were completely destroyed by an arson fire. The flames first spread into the side nave, before hitting the central nave. The roof then collapsed, taking away the bell tower. The disaster also destroyed the 19th century Merklin organ. The investigation, still ongoing, suspects a homeless Frenchman, already known to have, on five occasions, committed damage to religious buildings.

The day after the tragedy, the Heritage Foundation launched a subscription to benefit the restoration of the building. To date, it has raised 135,000 euros from 1,200 donors. This success showed, according to Alexandre Giuglaris, general delegate of the Heritage Foundation, the attachment of the local population to this emblematic place in the suburbs of the city. « Most of the donors are Audomarois, the building was at the center of everything and had importance for the inhabitants of the town », he emphasizes.

Friday, November 15, the collection received significant support from the Dassault family*, through the Dassault history and heritage endowment fund: 1 million euros. « This fire provoked an emotion which is reminiscent of that aroused by that of Notre-Dame, explained Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault, who also spoke on behalf of her two brothers, Laurent and Thierry. Five years after this tragic event, Notre-Dame is preparing to reopen its doors and thus delivers a tremendous message of hope for Saint-Omer. Even wounded and deeply touched, these stones remain alive. » The gesture was welcomed by François Decoster, mayor of Saint-Omer, who signed a sponsorship agreement on Friday, emphasizing that the donation, « crucial for the municipality, allows us to consider the reconstruction ».

The neo-Gothic style church, inaugurated in 1859, was restored between 2014 and 2018, at a cost of nearly 5 million euros. The sums required for this new work should be « much higher », according to the mayor. The ongoing assessments must determine the scale, then a call for tenders will be launched to select the companies responsible for rebuilding the church. A 70-ton scaffolding has already been installed to cover the building and protect it from bad weather. It will serve as support for the restoration, which could be completed in 2025.

For many years, the Dassault group has pursued a policy of patronage in favor of culture and the preservation of heritage. In recent months, Dassault History and Heritage has, among other things, contributed 1 million euros to the preservation of the ruins of the martyred village of Oradour-sur-Glane.

* The Dassault group owns the “ Figaro ».