Loto du Patrimoine - a heritage lotto in France

Do you know that there is a Heritage Lotto in France to save old buildings? In France, many historical buildings and monuments need restoration. They are the pride and identity of France and are in need of restoration . 

In order to revive some of them, Française des Jeux has created a Heritage Lotto as a part of the Stéphane Bern Mission and the Fondation du Patrimoine. 

The aim of this lottery is to collect funds to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the monuments in danger. 

What is Heritage Lotto in France?

The Loto du Patrimoine was created in 2018 as part of the Stéphane Bern Mission. It was created by the Fondation du Patrimoine along with the Française des Jeux and the support of the Department of Culture. The goal is to raise funds to restore certain carefully selected French monuments. 

Who are the founders? La Française des Jeux is the official French gambling organisation and Stéphane Bern is a star TV presenter known for his passion for history and royalty. 

But let’s come back to the main subject, the Heritage Lotto in France… Churches, bridges, castles, laundries, walls, chapels, fountains, towers, bells etc! Each year, the Fondation du Patrimoine selects 100 new projects and the Department of Culture unveils them to the public. In 2022, these 100 projects were added to the 18 endangered monuments that the Stéphane Bern Mission selected. The Loto du Patrimoine will give priority for financial support to these 18 monuments.

The first draw of this Heritage Lotto took place during the European Heritage Days in 2018. Since then, this lottery has been held every year. 

Since its launch in 2018, 745 projects have been selected and 420 sites have been restored or are being restored. 

The journalist Stéphane Bern has worked hard to save French heritage. Today, he is the representative of this initiative to save French culture. 

How does it work ? 

The Loto du Patrimoine works on the basis of an annual lotto and scratch game. The Fondation du Patrimoine and the Stéphane Bern Mission use the funds collected to renovate buildings.  

Since its creation, 200 million euros have been raised. This is thanks to donations and the proceeds from the sale of lotto and scratch tickets. Renovation is possible due to the receipts of the Loto du Patrimoine, scratch tickets and donations, corporate sponsorships and loans from the Department of Culture. 

Want to suggest a site for renovation? All you have to do is submit a project on the Stéphane Bern Mission website. 

Anyone can support a project. Either by making a donation directly on the Fondation du Patrimoine website, or by buying a Mission Patrimoine Super Lotto ticket. 

During the 2022 edition, seven Heritage Lotto draws took place between September 5 and 17 in France. This included a Super Lotto of 13 million euros!

To participate,you can go to a tobacco shop or a lottery ticket sale counter in France and buy a ticket. 

What are the projects of the Mission Patrimoine? 

In 2022, the Mission Patrimoine selected 100 new projects. 

They choose them according to different criteria: the condition of the site, the heritage interest of the project, the nature of the project and its impact on the land. 

This list of 100 projects represents all regions. One can find for example the Saint-Aurélien Chapel in Limoges which is a religious building dating back to the 16th century. It contains the relics of Saint-Aurélien, the second bishop of Limoges.

Also on the list are the castle and outhouses of Bouillancourt-en-Séry in the Somme. It is a XIIIth century castle which preserves two towers and the medieval archaeological basements and is in an advanced state of danger. 

Also on the list

• Ancient abbey of Vernaison in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
• Medieval house in Chariez in Burgundy Franche-Comté.
• Plessis-Kaër Castle in Crac’h in Brittany.
• Church of Saint-André in Villaines-les-Rochers in the Centre-Val de Loire.
• Acoravo Mill in Corsica.
• Water mill in Orbais l’Abbaye in the East of France.
• Chimney of the old tile factory of Raches in Hauts-de-France.
• Dovecote of the Fondation des Artistes in Nogent-sur-Marne in Île-de-France.
• Saint-Rémi Church in Bézu-Saint-Éloi in Normandy.
• Orangery of the Mainsat castle in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
• Tower of Clairvaux d’Aveyron in Occitania.
• Maison Bleue in Angers in Pays de la Loire.
• Maison Boc in Grand-Bourg in Guadeloupe.
• King René hotel in Avignon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
• Saint-Cyr villa in Fort-de-France in Martinique.
• Old presbytery of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in Guyane.
• Saint-Thomas des Indiens chapel in Saint-Denis in Reunion Island

A total of 100 projects will benefit from the proceeds of the Super loto du Patrimoine. 

The Loto du Patrimoine makes it possible to save French buildings that are in danger. In addition to offering the possibility to a person to win a large sum of money in the case of a winning ticket, it also saves hundreds of monuments every year. 

So what do you think? Would you like to participate in this Heritage Lotto in France? 

If you want to read this article in French click here : Le Loto du Patrimoine

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