Religious heritage restoration

Financial assistance for religious heritage restoration is granted under an agreement between the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec and the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine. It provides financial support for initiatives aimed at restoring religious heritage buildings (Part 1) and the furnishings and works of art (Part 2) they house.

The Québec Government has invested $257 million in religious heritage restoration projects since 1995. This involvement has generated private investment of over $122 million, which means that religious heritage buildings can be added to the list of Québec’s tourist attractions.

Target clientele

Financial assistance for religious heritage restoration is available to parish fabriques, dioceses, parish councils and religious communities – or their equivalent in other religious traditions – that own religious buildings, furnishings or works of art of religious value in Québec.

Eligible work

The following work is eligible for the program:

All work deemed essential to the maintenance of a heritage building and the preservation of its visual aspects, including roof and wall coverings, masonry, windows, fire detection and extinction systems, mechanical, electrical, lighting, paint, etc.;
All preventive maintenance and restoration work required on furnishings, works of art and organs with heritage value;
The portion of professional fees of specialists (architects, engineers, historians, archeologists, restorers, craftspersons or others) that is attributable to such work is also eligible.

Application procedure

Applications for financial assistance must be presented on the form designed and provided for that purpose, and accompanied by a report on the condition of the building. Applications can be presented to the applicant’s Table de concertation régionale at any time during the year.

Selection of projects

New projects will be selected according to the following priority criteria:

Properties built before 1945, which are protected under the Cultural Property Act or that have been designated as having a) undisputed, b) exceptional or c) superior heritage value, depending on assessments in each region;
Support for restoration projects consisting of major work (foundations, structure, roof, masonry, etc.) either for installation or upgrading to meet safety standards;
The local community contributes at least 30% of the overall cost of such projects.

Conditions for the awarding of grants

Restoration projects must be begun within six months of the Minister’s announcement, and completed within 24 months of the announcement.

The property owner awarded a grant must issue a public call for tenders to award contracts for construction work worth $100,000 or more. For awarding of contracts worth less than $100,000 and for professional services contracts, the owner must proceed in compliance with the Ministry’s internal directives. The owner must publish its public calls for tenders via the Government of Québec Système électronique d’appels d’offres (SEAO).

The CPRQ does not accept projects concerning properties for which alienation is planned within five years following the end of the work, unless the owner requires the purchaser to enter into a contract whereby it will take the desired precautions to ensure that the property’s heritage value and architectural value are safeguarded.