HERITAGE. The restoration of the right tower of the Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover church begins next week.
Construction originally began in the spring. The work was postponed due to the search for materials. “We need to replace stones and cement blocks on the right tower. We want to keep our historic church. It is important to respect heritage. We wanted to find materials that were identical to the existing ones. We realized that it was impossible,” mentions Normand Dupuis, president of the Saint-Luc Parish Factory, explaining that the sun’s rays would have changed the color of the original stones.
After careful consideration, the factory team decided to use similar materials.
In March 2022, L’Express learned that the facade of the Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover church was in poor condition with stones falling off the building. Significant cracks appeared on the right tower, weakening the structure. The engineers determined that the problem was limescale dissolving between the stone of the interior structure and that of the storefront.
As part of the work, the masonry of part of the right tower will be restored. Starting Monday, a steel structure will be installed to support the building. The bricklayer begins his work during the week for a period of four to five months.
Normand Dupuis, president of the Saint-Luc Parish Factory, shows one of the largest cracks in the facade. (Photo: Louis-Philippe Samson)
The cost of the work is approximately $400,000. The Saint-Luc parish factory mobilized to collect donations. An organizing committee was formed to organize fundraisers. Last June a spaghetti dinner was held in the church basement. A total of $4,000 was raised.
A second event will take place on September 24th. This is a family celebration on the church grounds from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Treasure hunt, group raffle, bag race and ball game: various activities are offered for young and old. A food truck will be on site to sell Putin for church repairs.
In addition, two trips will be raffled off. No fewer than 600 tickets are on sale at $100 each. For more information, please call the parish office at (819) 397-2344.
When the right tower is repaired, Normand Dupuis would like to renovate the interior of the church. “We want to make it a meeting place for community activities,” he emphasizes.
The factory’s main task is to maintain the building constructed in 1903. “The church is part of the heritage of Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover. Without the church there is no longer a village.”