The inauguration of our restored bell tower on May 28 was a great success; Among the officials present were the Apostolic Nuncio to France, the President of the Conseil Départemental, the Regional Director of Cultural Affairs for Occitanie (DRAC), and the General Delegate of the Fondation Notre Dame; We were also surrounded by the patrons of this exceptional restoration, all the members of the Support Committee and Comex of the Fondation de l’Abbaye de Lagrasse, and a few friends;
A wonderful day: studious
Our friend Pascal Bruckner opens the day with a fine lecture on the notion of Heritage; Jean-Louis Rebière, Chief Architect of Monuments Historiques (ACMH), then presents the challenges of this first phase in the restoration of the abbey complex; As usual, he linked the restoration of the bell tower with the forthcoming restoration of the south arm of the transept of our abbey church;
The high point of our day: the Apostolic Nuncio’s blessing
The Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr Celestino Migliore, was delighted to discover the abbey, its community and its thousand-year-old buildings on this occasion; After a few warm and hopeful words, he blessed the restored steeple, wishing similar success for the spectacular transept project;
A successful evening of friendship
In a simple and friendly atmosphere, happy to discover or rediscover the abbey, our guests enjoyed the cool evening and the garden, sharing dinner with the Abbot and several brothers;