Lagnieu. The Saint-Hilaire church has regained its former light and splendor.

The Saint-Hilaire church located in Proulieu, a hamlet of Lagnieu, has just undergone a final phase of renovation. Now, the building, restored to its former splendor, will be able to welcome parishioners and visitors on Friday, July 4, and September 20 and 21, 2025, for Heritage Days.

Parishioners and visitors will be able to discover the premises during the annual mass. Photo Philippe Bonnet

Saint-Hilaire, named after the ^46th pope, is regaining its splendor. "It's official, the church of Proulieu is regaining its splendor today after several phases of renovation and will finally reveal its brand new splendor," assures Bernard Chaboud, deputy mayor in charge of buildings and heritage. This building was placed under the name of Sainte-Madeleine, when Proulieu, today a hamlet of Lagnieu, depended on the parish of Saint-Sorlin, before the revolution, and then under that of Saint-Hilaire, named after the ^46th pope."

From now on, after having hosted several works spread over several years, namely the repair of the roof, restoration of the stained glass windows, compliance of the electrical installation, electrification of the bell mechanism, etc. The heritage commission has decided for 2025 to complete this program of enhancement of this built heritage by renovating the interior of the religious monument.

"The Saint-Hilaire church had not been refreshed for several decades," confided the deputy mayor, referring to the local companies working on the various construction sites, including Nicolas Peinture, which, to carry out its operations, had to install scaffolding to access the upper part of the church and, in a very professional manner, clean up the old and numerous layers of paint that had accumulated over time.

The objective is to restore the monument's splendor while respecting the phases that lead to respecting the work of the workers of yesteryear by reconstructing as closely as possible the original appearance of the painted surfaces under the vaults. These interventions were expressed almost as necessary and surgical, because if nothing had been done, the structures would have been faced with certain difficulties: fragility of the plasterwork, humidity, roof gutters, etc. Finally, parishioners and visitors will be able to discover the places during the annual mass which will take place on Friday, July 4th from 5:30 p.m. and during the Heritage Days, on September 20th and 21st.