Les amis de l'église Ste-Cécile d'Acquigny

The Restoration Project of Sainte-Cécile Church

Since the restoration of the choir in 1976, Sainte-Cécile Church has suffered significant deterioration due to humidity and the passage of time. The complete restoration project consists of undertaking the remaining parts until its full completion (see elevation view below):

Given the scale of the project and the level of investment required (~€2.5M), it has been divided into three main phases:

Phase 1 completed in 2014 (€668K excl. VAT): West façade, bell tower, and roofing (see below)
Phase 2 launched in 2021 (~€680K excl. VAT): Structural enclosure of the sacristy, electrical and heating systems, demolition of the boiler room converted into an exhibition space, restoration of the mortuary chapel completed in 2023. Restoration of the baptismal fonts began in April 2024
Phase 3: The Rosary Chapel, Saint Francis de Sales Chapel, the nave, the interior of the sacristy, and the President’s devotional apartments remain to be restored. Currently being costed

The first phase of the works completed in 2014

From the installation of scaffolding at the end of March 2014 to its removal in October, the first phase of the restoration of Sainte-Cécile Church was completed:

The second phase of restoration was launched in 2021. The following works have been completed:

Electrical and heating systems
Structural enclosure of the sacristy
Mortuary chapel (remaining restoration of the altar and bas-relief in February 2024)
Baptismal fonts chapel in April 2024

The fundraising campaign for the third phase of restoration is underway:

This phase concerns the remaining side chapels (Rosary Chapel, Saint Francis de Sales Chapel), as well as the nave, the President’s devotional apartments, and the interior of the sacristy.

Exposé de la suite des restaurations

Partly due to the collapse of the plasterwork, the lateral woodwork panels have become detached or dislodged. However, their structural condition is generally sound, and restoration after careful dismantling and appropriate conditioning is justified. Before this can be done, it is necessary to redo the base render on the corresponding walls. Finally, the nave must be repainted after repair of the plaster substrate, in order to achieve a finish consistent with the work already carried out in the choir.