In 2022, our friend Patrice, a restoration architect who has contributed several ideas and themes to this blog, contacted us to ask for help in rescuing and restoring a painting in the parish church of Island in Burgundy. We told the story in a blog called “Saving Mary.” We are glad to report that the painting has now been restored and rehung in the church. Here are the before-and-after photographs.

The two saintly men with halos at the bottom of the painting have emerged as if they had been under water all these years. All in all, the restoration is a satisfying conclusion to the story.

The painting was saved, in part, thanks to a program of the Fondation La Sauvegarde de l’Art Français. The Foundation chose three artworks in each region of France and those interested were invited to vote for one of the three to receive funding from the Foundation. Friends and family rallied around to get out the vote for the painting of Mary.

Recently, Patrice got in touch to say that the Foundation was holding a similar vote this year on rural church buildings and would we consider voting for a church that means a lot to him, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Lazare (Collégiale Saint-Lazare) in Avallon?

Avallon is the main town near Island. It is a fortified city with ramparts overlooking the surrounding countryside. We visited in 2019 when we were staying with Patrice and his wife, Noëlle. We spent time at the market and exploring its narrow streets.

Patrice had this to say about the church:

For nearly nine centuries, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Lazare has watched over Avallon. A privileged witness to history and a jewel of Burgundian Romanesque art, it occupies a central place in the cultural, spiritual, and heritage life of the town. Today, water infiltration threatens the stability of the vaults, as well as the sculpted decorations for which the building is renowned. Roof repairs are essential: replacement of the old tiles, restoration of the roof frame, and complete waterproofing, all while respecting traditional materials and techniques.

The church was built on a 5th-century foundation (a crypt from that date remains), and early in the 11th century, its custodians received a relic of Saint Lazarus (the man raised from the dead by Jesus in the Bible). The relic attracted interest and attention; the church was enlarged and became a popular stopping place for pilgrims headed to Compostello.

Before the Revolution, collegiate churches were those that were served by a “college” (community) of canons (senior clergy), which distinguished them from abbeys (served by a community of monks) and cathedrals (where a bishop was based).

Like its namesake, Saint-Lazare has already survived calamities. In 1589, lightning struck the tower and it burned. A storm demolished part of the church in 1633, but it was rebuilt. Like most churches at the time, it was damaged during the Revolution. Today, the threats have more to do with lack of funding and deferred maintenance, as with so many rural churches, hence the Foundation’s efforts. Each of the churches selected in each of the region has a similar story to tell.

Clearly, a lot of work is needed, and every bit of available funding will help. The Foundation’s website shows some of the effects of the years and damp on the interior and exterior of Saint-Lazare.

Update: Voting ended on November 16. Thanks to all of you who cast a vote. Alas, Saint-Lazare was not the successful candidate in its region. It came second to another church, the interestingly named Eglise de la Décollation-de-Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Oiselay-et-Grachaux. We can only hope that the supporters of Saint-Lazare can find other funds to help pay for needed repairs and that the lovely church will continue to watch over Avallon.

Text by Philippa Campsie; photographs of Avallon’s market and streets by Philippa Campsie, images of the painting of the Assumption from Patrice Roy; images of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Lazare from Wikipedia and the website of the Fondation La Sauvegarde de l’Art Français.