Work starts again ! After long months of waiting and preparation, work has finally resumed at the abbey! The second stage of our Grand Relèvement project, this ambitious project aims to restore the transept, which has been in ruins since the French Revolution; At the foot of the bell tower, workers from RBMH are hard at work; They began, of course, by setting up the work area, but also … by preparing for the arrival of a crane!
A crane is essential for this large-scale project; The transept must be emptied of the column bases it contains, as well as the gravel covering its floor; It will also be necessary to clear away the rubble from the wall built in the 19th century to isolate the abbey from the ruined transept; This wall will be demolished to reunite the two parts of the church; Last but not least, all the materials needed for the masonry work will have to be brought into the transept; However, access to the church arm is not suitable for such movements; A crane is therefore required, which will also be useful for laying the roof;
It’s off to the transept !
Workers take possession of the premises…
start putting away the lapidary…
and prepare access for the crane;
And so, on a hot July day as the Corbières know them well, an imposing truck pulls up in front of the main courtyard to unload its heavy cargo; The crane, towed by a construction machine, can then bypass the abbey via the narrow street;
Then comes the difficult installation of the machine; Space is tight, maneuvering is difficult; But the crane operator knew his job and, assisted by the RBMH workers, managed to place the gondola against the church wall;
Will it pass ?
Won’t it pass ?
It passed.
Logée. ???????
The niche is technical
Precision maneuvering
We adjust the nacelle placement …
… before deploying his feet;
In the meantime, the lapidary is gathered for evacuation;
Finally, the structure is deployed, the mast rises and the spire rises; At the same time, we weighed down the gondola, stabilizing it with 10 tons of ballast ! The ancient bell tower sees an unusual, modern neighbor rise up in front of it, who will keep it company for several months;
At the end of the day, despite the exhausting heat and the need to change a faulty hose, the crane is proudly in place; Restoration of the transept has begun !
The Lagrasse Abbey Fondation needs your help.
Thank you for your support; Thanks to you, the restoration of our thousand-year-old Abbey will be a success!
As the Foundation is placed under the aegis of the Fondation Notre Dame, your donations benefit from the tax advantages of a non-profit Fondation :
- Individuals: If you are subject to the IFI, you can deduct 75% of the amount of your donation from your Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière, up to a limit of €50,000; or 66% of your income tax, up to a limit of 20% of your taxable income;
- Companies: 60% of the amount of your donation is tax-deductible up to a limit of 0.5% of sales excluding VAT or €20,000;