Wallonia's government decided on Thursday to earmark millions of euros for the restoration of some of the region's heritage treasures.
A public contract worth an estimated €8.1 million will be launched to restore the choir and transepts of Aulne Abbey in Gozée, near Thuin, in Hainaut Province.
Over the next three years, the ruins of this Cistercian abbey will be consolidated using materials as close as possible to the original ones. The same applies to every stone of recognised historical and archaeological value.
A grant of €460,000 will also be awarded to the Saint-Nicolas d'Enghien Church factory in Hainaut for the restoration of the church's roofs. This funding will be used to renovate the roof slopes and gutters along the south aisle.
Finally, a grant earmarked for the restoration of the bell tower of the Collégiale Saint-Ursmer in Binche, another town in Hainaut, will be increased by €315,000 to enable essential additional work to be carried out.
This largely Gothic building has been protected since 1936. It is one of the oldest in Binche, and the spire above one of its towers can be seen from all over the town.
