Description church Saint Julien de Domfront for JEP 2024
The church of Saint Julien de Domfront, in neo-Byzantine style, is a major element of the 20th century heritage in Normandy, with a remarkable set of mosaics and art deco decoration. Surmounted by an imposing bell tower, resting on 4 reinforced concrete arches, it replaces the old church of the eighteenth century victim of a storm in 1923. It was built between 1924 and 1926 at the initiative of Canon Dutertre, parish priest of Domfront, with the support of the Municipal Council and the mobilization of the population. To reduce costs, the architect Albert Guilbert chose reinforced concrete, then a completely new technique. Very quickly, the concrete deteriorated and the arches showed signs of weakness. Precautionary measures had to be taken (tarpaulin laid inside in 1976 and a protective net in 1985). Only a classification as a historical monument could save this building. After the classification of Historic Monument in 1993, a general restoration study carried out by a Chief Architect of Historical Monuments (ACMH) and published in 1997 defined a restoration plan in 2 phases: - The restoration of the bell tower, with concrete treatment and arch reinforcement. - Restoration of exterior walls, windows, portals and interior decoration (mosaics...). Due to the delay in carrying out the planned work and the deterioration of the arches, the Prefect made the decision in late March 2006 to close the church for security reasons. An association was then created to work on the restoration of the building and, with the Town Hall, the Architect of the buildings of France and the Regional Curator of Historical Monuments, made a substantial contribution to the recovery of the plan in 2 phases defined in 1997.
The first phase, the restoration of the bell tower, began in November 2011, and allowed Bishop Jacques Habert, Bishop of Séez, to reopen the church on September 29, 2013, after 7 and a half years of closure.
The work of the second phase, more complex, required numerous studies and diagnoses. The Final Preliminary Project (DPA) was approved at the end of 2019, allowing tenders to be launched in March 2020. This second phase will take place in 3 tranches of about two years, separated by one year and each of an amount of € 1,000,000: the first tranche, started in 2021 concerned the North, East and South facades with their windows and ended on April 26, 2022. The second phase, which began in January 2023 and is currently underway, concerns the west facade (the Narthex) as well as the sacristy and the Oratory, and is expected to end in November 2023. The work of this second phase includes the rehabilitation of the turrets temporarily preventing the climb to the bell tower so appreciated. the third phase will cover the entire interior of the building and should begin in 2026. The total cost of this phase is estimated at € 3,000,000, with funding of 40% by the DRAC, 37% by the Normandy Region and the remainder by the City Domfront, or 27%, to be reduced by the participation of the Heritage Foundation and the Association of Friends of the Saint Julien Church who appeal to your donations.