The Ars underground church, built in 1960, is in urgent need of waterproofing . A partnership with the Fondation du Patrimoine has been signed to help with the restoration. The Ars sanctuary needs your help to continue welcoming pilgrims, and we thank you for your support.
The Church of Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde in Ars-sur-Formans is a remarkable contemporary church that has been awarded the “Patrimoine du XXe siècle” label. Despite regular maintenance, a major leak was discovered on the confessional wall in January 2021, damaging part of the stations of the Stations of the Cross created by painter Pierre Grach in 1979. Extensive testing and analysis revealed a major problem with the watertightness of the joint running the full width of the building between the two concrete slabs. Studies have been undertaken: the damage is such that it threatens the very structure of the building in the long term. Although hardly visible to the naked eye, they damage the structure of the building deep down. Drainage work had been carried out a few years ago to improve the flow of water from the terrace, but the cause was never resolved.
The work will involve removing the soil from the damaged areas covering the roof terrace, removing the agricultural drains, treating the expansion joint, waterproofing, raising the expansion joint to protect it, leaving it accessible for future inspections, and installing a drainage system.
As part of a partnership between the Diocese, the Sanctuaire d’Ars and the Fondation du Patrimoine, you can help the Sanctuaire restore the church of Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde by making a donation on the Fondation du Patrimoine website. After a brief welcome from Fr. Rémy Griveaux, curé-recteur of the Ars Shrine, Mgr Roland – bishop of the diocese – and Alain Silvy – Rhones-Alpes regional delegate of the Fondation du Patrimoine -, signed the agreement officially launching the collection of donations for work on the church of Notre-Dame-de-la Miséricorde in Ars.
