At FRH we have started off the month by carrying the Torch of Heritage and Culture to its next stop, this time to Mont-Devant-Sassey, France!
On Saturday, 2 June at 18:00, the FRH Torch arrived in Mont-Devant-Sassey, on the occasion of the 11th edition of the Open Churches Heritage Days. This year’s theme was “The many faces of heritage”; telling the human story behind the bricks and stones. Carried by a young athlete, the arrival of the FRH Torch to the Eglise Notre-Dame de l’Assomption marked the start of the ceremony, followed by the lighting of the Torch of Heritage and Culture in the church. Throughout the evening, contributors shared the contents of their letters with participants, finishing with a musical conclusion; a performance by Resonance, an ensemble that bases their performances in religious heritage sites. The event was followed with interest by the French press; for details please consult our Media Coverage webpage.
We are proud to announce that nine new testimonies were contributed to our treasure box, including those from; Mrs Françoise Nyssen, Minister of Culture of France, Mr Stéphane Bern, TV journalist and special Heritage Advisor for the President of the French Republic; Mrs Nanou Bouillet, President of the Friends of the Church of Mont-Devant-Sassey and President of the Open Churches of the Grand-Est region of France; Mgr Jean-Paul Gusching, Bishop of Verdun; Mr Quentin Dujardin, guitarist-composer for the Resonance project; Mr Pierre Leroy, lecturer at the College of France and founder of the project ´Un jour, une église´; Mrs Juliette Roy, President of the National Office of Veterans and Victims of War of the Meuse; Mrs Rita Jabourn, of Syrian origin and very sensitive about the preservation of religious heritage; and Mr Kevin de Zorzi, one of the first guides of the Young Heritage Ambassadors. FRH thanks them for their contribution, and also sends a special thank you to Mrs Nanou Bouillet and Mr Géry de Pierpont for assisting in the organisation of the event; its success would not have been possible without them!
You can also join the initiative!
As Janet Gough OBE said in her letter: Our challenge is to create the conditions to sustain a working partnership of local and national support to preserve, use and develop these precious historic religious buildings to serve everyone now and for the future. FRH is truly hoping that the Initiative will motivate European citizens to share their stories and raise awareness about the importance of religious heritage. Because, as Henrik Lindblad concludes in his letter, We can never promote and inform enough about the values of historic churches. The importance of safeguarding, documenting and studying these very fragile monuments should always be emphasized.
Do you agree? Would you like to support our Initiative? Will you add to our treasure box and share a memory? It’s so simple! Click here and send us your letter, which we will then publish on the FRH Torch website!
#SocialMedia users!
Help spread the word about the FRH Torch Initiative, religious heritage and the European Year of Cultural Heritage by sharing our information and using the following hashtags: #FRHTorch #EuropeForCulture #EYCH2018 #religiousHeritage.
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