Church demolition suspended, altercation between priest and mayor. Priest detained

On February 3, demolition work on the church of Saint-Gault in Quelaines-Saint-Gault, Mayenne, began with the final ringing of the bells, and the building was emptied. However, on the 4th, the work was suspended, the mayor claimed to have been assaulted, and a priest involved in the Resistance was taken into custody, then released, and filed a counter-complaint.

On February 3, “employees of a company were present that Tuesday morning to empty the building of its pews and furniture. A priest from the Diocese of Laval joined the gathering. He did not give a speech but rang the bells one last time.” Around twenty people gathered to say goodbye to the building – which the town hall wants to demolish, leaving only a few walls to create a strange “memorial site” that resembles a romantic ruin, even though, visually, the church is not at all on the verge of collapse.

As the town explains on its website, the church has already been deconsecrated and has not been used for many years due to the building's overall condition. “The prefecture issued a deconsecration order in light of the decree deconsecrating the church of Saint-Gault. At the meeting on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the future of the church was decided by the town council with a unanimous vote to remove the building from the public domain.”

Altercation between a Resistance priest and the mayor, cross-complaints

However, on February 4, as the demolition work had begun, an altercation occurred between a clergyman from the Resistance – a dissident movement of the SSPX created by Bishop Williamson – and the mayor, who claimed to have been assaulted. The priest was taken into custody, then released. According to our information, the priest also filed a complaint for perjury and aggravated assault.

In the local press, the mayor explained: “Without rushing, they went to their car; we weren’t very far away, actually. The priest started the engine and didn’t stop. He touched my hand, nothing serious, but his side mirror was broken. At the time, I wondered what was going on. In the seconds that followed, I thought, yes, we’ve crossed a line that is unacceptable.” I wasn't alone; other people from the company were there too, near me. The priest wasn't targeting me as mayor; he simply decided to leave regardless of what was in front of him.

Father Salenave also gave his version of events: "I wasn't really aware of this demolition project, even though I live in Mayenne. A parishioner sent me a link about it. It affected me a bit when I looked at the history and thought, 'We can't do that.' However, I knew nothing about the past controversies. So, I asked a close friend to accompany me to the church in Saint-Gault to do a short report. At that moment, the mayor arrived at full speed. I didn't know who he was. He was angry." The cameraman was filming me; we were outside, and I was commenting on what was happening. The mayor verbally attacked us and demanded we stop filming.

Since the situation was getting a bit tense, I told my friend we were going to leave. The mayor really wanted us to destroy the video, so he was trying to take the phone. I really wanted to do something peaceful. And then the mayor yelled, “Stop them! Block them, put your cars across, block them!” We kept going, got into the vehicle, when three workers positioned themselves right in front of our car. They tried to open the doors. I started the engine, moved forward very slowly, and they all moved aside, and I drove off.

Demolition work halted following appeal by Urgence Patrimoine

The Urgence Patrimoine association filed an emergency application for interim relief to suspend the demolition of the building; the Mayenne prefecture confirms the work stoppage pending the court's ruling: "Following an appeal to the Nantes Administrative Court, the mayor, in agreement with the prefecture, has suspended the demolition work pending the interim order."

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