Marne: the venerable half-timbered church of Drosnay will rise from its ashes

Destroyed in a spectacular fire in July 2023, this 15th-century gem in the Lac du Der region will be rebuilt identically. The government has just given the green light, much to the relief of local residents.

By Marie Blanchardon

The architects tasked with rebuilding Notre-Dame de Drosnay (Marne), which was ravaged by a fire in 2023, will be able to rely on precise plans of the church that were formalized in the 1970s during a restoration campaign. Paul Schrepfer/Wikimedia Commons

She left a great void behind her since her disappearance on July 7, 2023. Carried away by the flames of a spectacular fire, the church of Drosnay (Marne) was part of the circuit of thirteen half-timbered churches in the Pays du Lac du Der . It was a priceless heritage jewel. At the time, Anne-Marie Vermeulen, the president of the church preservation association, told us about her dream of seeing it reborn. Nearly two years later, the State announced on April 15 the validation of the project to reconstruct this 16th-century half-timbered church identically.

"It's coming to fruition," she assures. "But we don't yet know how it will unfold, nor how it will be financed, and we don't yet know the cost of this reconstruction because everything depends on the types of wood and the methods used. As for our association, we're focusing on raising funds for the furniture; we know it's going to be difficult to recreate a 16th-century interior. We also hope that the listed stained-glass window of the Tree of Jesse will be remade identically by master glassmakers."

A priceless jewel from the 16th century, ravaged by fire on July 7, 2023, the church of Drosnay (Marne) was part of the circuit of thirteen half-timbered churches in the Pays du Lac du Der. LP/ Marie Blanchardon

Anne-Marie Vermeulen is so confident because she knows the reconstruction architects will be able to rely on accurate plans for the church. These plans were formalized in the 1970s during a restoration campaign for the building. Visited by tourists from all over the world, as her guestbook attests, the church is also in the hearts of all parishioners and residents of the Vitryat region.

"Everyone is talking about it, each with their own modesty and emotion. It was a living space where weddings, baptisms, and funerals were celebrated. It's still an open wound since 2023," admits the association's president. After a period of excavations launched by the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC), work should begin in 2027. But the reopening of the Drosnay church is not scheduled until 2030. Until then, the preservation association will organize its traditional open-air mass on July 13 on the very site of the now-defunct building.