Last modified on Fri 12 Mar 2021 05.02 EST
The bestselling British author Ken Follett is donating the proceeds from his book about the Notre-Dame fire to restore a cathedral in Brittany.
Follet is giving €148,000 (£127,000) towards a multimillion euro project to save Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne cathedral.
The sum is what he has made from his book Notre-Dame: a Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals, written after the Paris monument was ravaged by fire in April 2019, which has sold 113,000 copies worldwide.
The money is being given to the French Fondation du patrimoine (Patrimony Foundation) and will be put towards the €2.4m cost of restoring the Brittany cathedral, a Gothic monument listed since 1840, but in a parlous state of repair.
The Saint-Samson cathedral has been considered an official historic monument in France since 1840, and dates back to the year 555. It has been described as a ‘jewel in Brittany’s crown’.
Yet, it has suffered from degeneration over the years.
The frame and roof are no longer watertight, the granite balustrades are damaged, and some walls need replacing. Crucially, four 13th century stained glass windows - the oldest stained glass windows listed in Brittany - are no longer protected from the elements.
A €2.4 million restoration project began in 2019, and is scheduled to finish in 2024.
Mr Follett said that as well as the money given, he would also be taking a close interest in the restoration project, and following its progress as much as possible.
Ken Follett donates royalties to restore French cathedral
This photograph shows the full moon behind a gargoyle of Notre-Dame cathedral, in Paris, on February 27, 2021. THOMAS COEX / AFP.
PARIS
(AFP)
.- Welsh writer Ken Follett will donate the royalties from his book Notre-Dame , published after the Paris cathedral was ravaged by fire in 2019, to help restore another Gothic cathedral in Brittany, it was announced Monday.
Follett wrote the short e-book celebrating the history of Notre Dame to raise money for its restoration following the devastating fire in April 2019.
But France s Heritage Foundation said they had decided together to use the money around 150,000 euros ($180,000) for another project restoring the Saint-Samson cathedral in Dol-de-Bretagne since the Paris restoration is not short of funds.
UK Guardian: The bestselling British author Ken Follett is donating the proceeds from his book about the Notre-Dame fire to restore a cathedral in Brittany.
Follet is giving €148,000 (£127,000) towards a multimillion euro project to save Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne cathedral.
The sum is what he has made from his book Notre-Dame: a Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals, written after the Paris monument was ravaged by fire in April 2019, which has sold 113,000 copies worldwide.
The money is being given to the French Fondation du patrimoine (Patrimony Foundation) and will be put towards the €2.4m cost of restoring the Brittany cathedral, a Gothic monument listed since 1840, but in a parlous state of repair.
Dol-de-Bretagne La cathédrale Saint-Samson, la belle inachevée maville.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from maville.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.