Crumbling history
The sun shines through Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens – a 19th century church that once rose proudly above the French village of Geste. It is now just a remnant of its old self.
The city council chose to demolish most of neo-gothic structure rather than pay the millions of euros worth of repairs and maintenance it needed. It is a decision facing many French villages where shrinking populations and rising costs are making historic churches hard to maintain.
Before: Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens stands tall above the village of Geste.
After: Less than two weeks later, the main bulk of the church has vanished from the skyline as its demolition goes ahead.
A municipal employee stands behind a statue of the Virgin Mary, which is being kept in storage until a new church is built in Geste.
A worker walks past a statue of Christ, which has also been put in storage during the deconstruction of the old church.
A workman inspects the structure of the partly-demolished building.
An excavator sends rubble flying as it tears through one of the church walls.
Residents watch as parts of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens are torn down.
Workers remove stone rubble outside the building.
A pigeon flies over the columns of the partially destroyed church.
Locals walk through the playground of a school nearby.
Jacques Mourillon, a former church organist, shows a picture of himself getting married in Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens on August 14, 1989.
Jacques’ father Marc Mourillon, an 85-year-old former baker, who lives next door to Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens, shows a picture of the design for the new church.
An excavator stands amongst the rubble of the old building.
