Church Bells that Will Not Ring for Christmas

In the face of declining attendances and the growing costs of maintenance, an increasing number of village churches are under threat of demolition.

According to the L'Observatoire du patrimoine religieux (OPR), an association established to fight for the preservation of churches, there are around 100,000 churches in France, a large number of which are in a poor condition and may well need to be demolished in the next 30 years.

In around a dozen villages, the local council have already voted for the full or partial demolition of a church edifice in decay, but local opposition groups have sprung up, resulting in political and legal stalemate that, in some cases, has gone on for years.

Whilst in the UK there has been an acceptance of the new reality that redundant church buildings should be converted for alternative use, the same apparition has not occurred in France.

Perhaps, recalling the time of the French revolution when many churches were destroyed or vandalised, there is widespread opposition to the use of churches other than for prayer. Even the use of churches for cultural use is normally frowned upon.

In a recent survey carried out by polster Ipos, 64% of French people declared themselves of Catholic religion. However, barely 5% of the population regularly attend church on a Sunday and an increasing number are falling sway to a secular life.

As a result, many rural churches sit gloriously and virtuously empty throughout the year, or merely hold the occasional wedding or funeral service.

By a strange paradox, in a country which is marked by a strict separation of Church and State, it is the local councils who are owners of most churches.

Nevertheless, the councils are unable to dispose of a church, or even change its use, without the consent of the local diocese. They are only permitted to demolish if they consider the building to be in an 'imminently perilous state'.

Some 13,000 churches are classed as historic monuments, so receive support towards their maintenance from the French Government.