Battle to save the Dominican Church in Marseille

In the heart of Marseille, a stone's throw from the prefecture, the Dominican Friars' convent occupies a large area. Apart from the vast church overlooking the street, it's impossible to guess that the classical facades of the surrounding buildings house a cloister and a garden. A haven of peace, a place of life and prayer for a community of 22 religious, mobilized for years to save Our Lady of the Rosary. Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde overlooks the city. Our Lady of the Rosary blends into Marseille. A historical anachronism, these two places of worship are private. These are exceptions to the 1905 law that established the separation of church and state and, in addition to the principle of secularism, confiscated property. The ownership of churches then reverted to the municipalities, that of cathedrals to the state. The two buildings, constructed at the end of the 19th century, now require extensive renovations: €2.8 million for "La Bonne Mère" and almost as much (€2.5 million) for Notre-Dame du Rosaire. The latter is the work of architect Pierre Bossan, who also built the Fourvière Basilica, the pride of the Lyonnais, at the same time.

Finding funds for renovation

For Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the diocese of Marseille had no trouble mobilizing both individuals and businesses (see bonus). "Donations are pouring in from everywhere," acknowledges Édouard Detaille. The fundraising manager knows he can also count on the two million tourists who visit the city's most visited site each year and don't hesitate to contribute a euro or more for the renovations. The scaffolding has been in place since February. Photos of the work's progress regularly make the front pages of the local and national press.

Mobilizing for Our Lady of the Rosary is a completely different challenge. The Ministry of Culture and the Heritage Foundation have committed to covering 30% of the cost of the work, given the historic nature of the building. The remainder is the responsibility of the Dominicans who live in the convent. However, this mendicant order, dedicated to preaching and poverty, lacks the resources and codes to raise funding on such a scale.

It's difficult to mobilize around a little-known building.

I've driven past this church hundreds of times without noticing it. Our Lady of the Rosary is located on a one-way street, narrow and often congested with traffic. It blends into the surrounding block of buildings, and there's nowhere to step back and admire its facade. When you read the fundraising leaflet produced by the Dominicans of Marseille, you discover that it contains a large number of sculptures and bas-reliefs, beautiful stained-glass windows, and paintings.

We also learn that a first phase of work costing €830,000 to make it watertight has just been completed with substantial public funding, as the goal was to save the building.

However, the interior restoration is of a different nature. Although the DRAC, within the Ministry of Culture, has committed to supporting the project with 30%, the majority of the money will come from donations. Hence the campaign launched with the support of the Fondation du Patrimoine. "With your help, we will succeed," concludes the document available on a table at the entrance to the church on Rue Edmond Rostand. A box allows the rare visitors or the faithful who come to attend the services that punctuate the life of the community to make donations with their credit card. A more traditional donation box invites you to slip in a few coins or bills.

Publish a book

Brother Clément is one of the fourteen Dominicans attached to the Marseille convent, which currently also welcomes eight novices. I was able to contact him via LinkedIn after accidentally discovering a book he wrote that I was enthusiastic about: "Training and Grace: Spirituality of Effort and Lent." The cover features a photo of Léon Marchand in action, performing a butterfly stroke. As I write these lines, I'm discovering the unconscious image conveyed by this image: the champion is emerging from the water, arms horizontal... A man on a cross!

The book begins with the Olympic final on July 31, 2024, at 10:31 p.m., which marked the history of sport. And galvanized France. In this short 150-page treatise, theologian Clément Binachon develops the thesis that religious faith must be practiced daily, like the training followed by high-level athletes. "Royalty fees won't allow us to find the €500,000 needed to launch the first installments," the author jokes.

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