Who is targeting the Sainte-Thérèse church in Poitiers? The religious building has now been attacked for the second time, marking another extreme.
On Tuesday morning, the 14th of May 2024, the pews gathered in a pile in front of the choir loft were set on fire.
Father Albert had opened the church at around 8.30am on Tuesday morning without finding anything unusual. I had an appointment with a person responsible for fire safety at 11 a.m.,’ the custodian reported. ‘We opened the sacristy and when I tried to go into the choir room, he told me not to come. The church was full of smoke. As he is a former firefighter from Paris, he took the necessary measures.’
The fire brigade arrived with a considerable number of firefighters, the outbreak of fire was quickly brought under control and the burnt-out and partially charred pews and chairs were removed from the church.
A statue of the Virgin Mary, which is located at the side of the choir, was the victim of vandalism. It was discovered with its head cut off. Just like two years ago. It had since been repaired. In 2022, the nativity figures were also smashed alongside this statue of the Virgin Mary.
On Wednesday the 15th of May, a company is due to arrive to provide an estimate for cleaning the soot from the walls, floor and artwork. The diocese, which is the private owner of this church, which was acquired as the property of the church under the 1905 law for the rededication of religious buildings to the property of the parishes or the state, will file a complaint. The church has been closed to the public and the religious burial ceremony scheduled for this Wednesday has been moved to Migné-Auxances. La Nouvelle République