Façade collapse and vandalism at Église Saint-Roch

9/3/26 - Heritage - Paris, église Saint-Roch - The façade of the Église Saint‑Roch had been restored in 2001, twenty-five years ago. That did not prevent a large section of cornice, on the return section to the right, from collapsing. The images are impressive (ill. 1 to 3), and fortunately no one was injured.

This is not the first time that part of a façade has collapsed on a Parisian church. One recalls that of the Église Saint‑Paul‑Saint‑Louis, the Église Saint‑Merry, and the Église Saint‑Augustin (see the article), and there are doubtless others we forget. Despite restorations being more frequent than at the beginning of the 2000s, Paris’s heritage remains poorly maintained. Although many façades have recently been restored, including that of the Église de la Sainte‑Trinité very recently, the rest of the buildings are too often neglected.

But this collapse is not the only mishap that has struck the Église Saint‑Roch, since almost at the same time an altar in the form of the Ark of the Covenant, in the axial chapel of the ambulatory, just in front of the Chapel of the Virgin at the back of the church, was this time vandalised (ill. 4 to 6). It is a work dated 1840, based on a design by the architect Charles Lelong.

According to information provided by the parish priest, Abbé Thierry Laurent, the vandals seemed to be searching for something in what serves as a tabernacle. They first damaged the door without even realising that it was open. Then they attacked the object itself, breaking the little angels that surmount it as well as the palmettes (anthemions) above the cornice. Everything seems to have remained in place, with the exception of the carrying bar.

One cannot help linking this with the theft of a relic that has just taken place at the Église Saint‑Vincent‑de‑Paul. It was not a piece of the tunic of Vincent de Paul, as reported by the press, but a fragment of bone. Fortunately, the medallion reliquary that contained it was left on site, which shows that this was not a theft of a precious object. One nevertheless wonders what could drive people to steal relics. It is not known whether the same gang is involved here [1], the proximity of the two thefts and the lack of interest in the works of art seeming to link the two cases. While relics fall outside the scope of La Tribune de l’Art, the vandalism of works of art unfortunately falls fully within it. One can only hope that these are isolated acts.
By a bitter irony, the restoration of the object by the COARC, as Abbé Laurent told us, was due to begin tomorrow. It will indeed take place, but will prove more costly.
We contacted the City of Paris, which was unable, in such a short time, to provide us with a response.