La valorisation patrimoniale des édifices religieux entre affectation cultuelle exclusive et contractualisation

• Main Author: Pierre-Henri Prélot
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Presses universitaires de Strasbourg 2017-05-01
• Series: Revue du Droit des Religions
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/rdr/816

France is undoubtedly one of the European countries that has best preserved its religious heritage over the past century. Ironically, it owes this situation to the separation regime which guaranteed the formerly recognized religions, especially the Catholic Church, the free disposal of the church buildings that had become public property during the Revolution or nineteenth century. Repairs carried out by the owner and the routine maintenance provided by the faithful have protected these buildings from transformation, destruction or resale. But this model is in crisis, due to the lack of funding and the decline in religious observance. The purpose of this article is to envisage the legal conditions for an enhancement of religious buildings, likely to ensure their sustainability while respecting the use for worship.