1986 – 2008 More than 20 years of herculean work
The summer of 1986 saw an army of volunteers start the first task of clearing away the trees that had grown in and around the Abbey. The communes had given monetary aid, and councillors set an example by giving up a Saturday to help with the work. In 1987, local businesses gave funds to consolidate this first initiative.
This funding gave momentum to the project and it quickly received a deserving reward, in 1998, the project won second prize from ‘Major Works in Peril’ (chefs-d’oeuvre en péril)
In 1989, a preliminary feasibility study was done by M. Charles Perrot, architect and Head of Historic Monuments, to determine the possibility of restoration. Following on from this, in 1990, work began, under the control of M. Jean François Lagneau, Architect in Charge of Historic Monuments, and supported by funds from Europe, the State, the Region, the Department, the CCKB, and the association of the friends to the Abbey of Bon Repos, to the tune of 3,331,187€.
