The Saint-Jacques hospice has closed its doors since 2021 for a renovation project which will place this remarkable architectural ensemble on track for the next millennium.
The “hospice 2” project will start. “This is the continuation of the hospice 1 project (read our editions of May 13, 2022 and September 14, 2023), after a preliminary study and the submission of the building permit by the Serra agency”explains Alain Sanchez, heritage conservation assistant. A project in four phases which concerns all the wings of the hospice, with the south side, the veranda, the Saint-Louis room, the Saint-Liboire room and the attic; then on the east side, the ground floor, the 1st floor, the surroundings of the two wings. “The municipal council validated the four phases of work but only strengthened the first phase relating to the health emergency weighing on the south wing.” The work concerns the repair of frames and roofs, the reinforcement of structures, walls, ceilings and floors, the repair and restoration of all exterior joinery. “We also plan to restore the original volumes of the 18th century hospice by removing the partitions made in the 1950s. There will also be an upgrading of standards in terms of security, but also accessibility, for people with reduced mobility. The Rodona garden and the Rodona church will be integrated into the tour route, restoring the covered passage that existed between the main entrance to the hospice and the garden. A project financed by the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, the departmental council, the Region and the municipality.
And Marianne Brunet, general director of services added: “It was a building that did not belong to us and which was in a health emergency. We had to ensure that the building went from a health emergency to a beautiful renovated heritage building.”
New project
The opportunity also to start again on a new project. “There had been significant work done as part of an Adepfo development training (Association for the development of the Pyrenees through training) with the active forces. It was not only the elected officials, but also associations, people from the field of culture, from the municipality, but also from outside, who had worked so that tomorrow, the hospice would also be a cultural building on the history of the city with a capital H, not only linked to the sacred art.
History of water
A story that would talk about water, an important part linked to the organs which were shaped by the sea. “It is a town crossed by irrigation canals. There is Têt, Boulès. There is the water side and the landscape side which surrounds us in connection with agriculture. Without forgetting the history side with the various monuments of the town, visit virtually the hermitage of Saint-Maurice, the chapel of Casenoves. There is a desire to capture some of the people who go to the organs to be able to benefit the city’s merchants. I am convinced that it is achievable, provided we broaden our offerings and not only link it to Romanesque and Baroque art. Finally, it is necessary to provide a suitable offer for children. Because if we want to attract families to the old town, it has to be suitable for children.”
