VILLENEUVE-LÈS-AVIGNON The city wins the regional heritage ribbon award
The city of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon received the regional heritage ribbon prize this Saturday for the renovations of the Collegiate Church and the Chapel of the Seven Pains.
A competition led by the Savings Bank, the Heritage Foundation, the Association of Mayors of France, the French Building Federation and the Historical Monuments Group, created to reward communities that carry out heritage restoration operations. “The goal is to highlight both the initiative of the municipalities and the know-how of building companies”, specifies the treasurer of the FFB du Gard, Agathe Aledda.
In this case, Villeneuve is a good example with “1.3 million euros invested since 2009 to restore its splendor to the collegiate church, one of the major projects of the last term”, underlines Mayor Pascale Bories. In addition to the collegiate church built by Cardinal Arnaud de Via in the 14th century, the town hall restored the rural chapel of the Seven Pains, on the outskirts of the city, for 95,000 euros.
And beyond these two restorations, Pascale Bories believes that “It is our entire process of renovation and preservation of heritage that is rewarded” with this regional prize, ten years after a first distinction for the restoration of the Saint-Pons church, which has since become the Villeneuve media library. “This prize is a real recognition and also an encouragement to continue, given the richness of Villeneuve’s heritage”, estimates for its part the municipal councilor delegated to the inheritance, Pascal Crépin.
Thierry allard