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Fall 2022 Update

Thank you for your interest in Saint Germain des Prés church, the oldest church in Paris.  We are especially grateful to those who have provided such unstinting support for the ongoing restoration and preservation of Saint Germain des Prés under the direction of the City of Paris’s Historic Monuments Department.

Owing to the pause in works (more on that just below) and our own discussions to renew our organization's tax-exempt status (lapsed, owing to a clerical error), we have taken the decision to halt temporarily our fund-raising activities in the United States.  We look forward to working again soon with the church's countless sponsors and friends to raise the monies needed to complete the fifth and final tranche of works.  

 

Planning for the church's full restoration started in 2012;  The actual renovation w0rks commenced in 2016.   They were originally expected to reach full completion in 2021. 

The Covid pandemic changed all that.

Preservation and restoration works were halted in 2020 at a point where approximately 85% of the original project had been fully completed. 

Now, nearly two years later, we await the decision by Paris city officials to authorize the final tranche of works.  We hope that this authorization will be announced by the end of this year, with works starting up again n the new year and ending in the Fall of 2023.

 

It is worth noting that prior to the 2020 onset of the pandemic, the works had remained more or less in line with the original budget and within the planned timeframe to completion, not an inconsequential feat in the preservation world.  Today, we are happy to announce that sufficient funding has been raised and applied to pay for the entirety of all restoration works completed to date (i.e. the first four tranches).  

We invite you to visit the relevant pages of this website for opportunities to admire the history, art and architecture of Saint Germain des Prés.  Please also take a moment to marvel at the inspirational beauty of the renovation works completed to date.

 

As it has for the last 15 centuries, Saint Germain des Prés church remains open for services, prayer, meditation, concerts and visits.  

 

We hope you will have the opportunity to visit the church in person to see the restoration works in their full glory.  And we look forward to working with you in the not distant future to raise  the final funding amounts required for the fifth and final tranche of works.

 

Thank you.

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