To Quenza it’s not just the castle that is at the center of all attention and will be the subject of improvements, to be put out of water. The Saint-Georges church is also under construction. Built on an old Romanesque chapel, it dates from the 17the century. Witness to the past but threatened by the passage of time, the building has deteriorated. “The works began in September, they are carried out by the company of the Piacentini brothers. The entire roof of the church, an old original decking under the tiles, the door frames and all the electricity have been redone“, details the mayoress Roselyne Balesi, very attached to safeguarding the historical, cultural and religious heritage of her commune.
Bring the faithful back to the pews of the church
In the rural and mountain villages, the churches now almost serve as museums.
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The life of a municipality is often intertwined with that of the history of a religious building. “It’s sad to say but in Quenza the population rarely goes to church, you have to mobilize all the time. We make sure she comes back and a mass is celebrated on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. every fortnight by Father Grégoire“, says Roselyne Balesi.
While the work is being done at the parish church, Sunday mass takes place at the Santa Maria chapel, which is located at the exit of the village on the road that descends towards Sorbollano, in the direction of Ajaccio. “The opportunity to bring the Romanesque chapel back to life, which is magnificent and exudes something extraordinary.“The municipality brings a snack (coffee, hot chocolate and cookies) and last Sunday about twenty people attended, gathered for a moment of sharing. An organized return of the faithful.
“This year we will celebrate the Christmas mass there by candlelight because there is no electricity and we will serve a mulled wine there, for the occasion offered by our association San Ghjorghju di Quenza.“, says Muriel Pegalajar, the president of the association. As for the night of the churches organized at the end of June, the chapel will be decorated with candles and torches. “The mulled wine will warm us up because it will be cold… If it snows that evening, it will be very beautiful!”
40,000 euros in donations collected by the association
The total amount of work for the restoration of the church of Quenza amounts to nearly 320,000 euros. They are 40% subsidized by the state via the DETR, 36% by the Collectivity of Corsica, and 24% by the municipality of Quenza. “We contribute to relieve the municipality thanks to the association, which forms a relay between the population, the municipality and the foundation“, reveals Muriel Pegalajar.
The association is also anticipating to set up the second phase of the work. All the frescoes and decorations painted in the side chapels of the church will be brought to light.
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A work of craftsmanship. “The paintings and coatings inside the church will also be redone. Soon we will finally have a religious building worthy of the name“, rejoices the mayor. During the duration of the work, the works of art and paintings housed in the church were placed in safety at the Alta Rocca museum in Levie.
Find funding to carry out the restoration project, an obstacle course for the San Ghjorghju di Quenza association. To obtain donations, numerous events have been organized (lotos, balls, meals, etc.). To date, more than 40,000 euros have been raised.
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The Heritage Foundation has also allocated just over 14,000 euros from some sixty generous donors who support religious heritage. A subscription is also in progress for the safeguard and the renovation of the castle (in phase of installation of the construction site) which already obtained 450,000 euros last September allocated under the 5e edition of the Loto du patrimoine.
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