Ménil-Gondouin church

In 1873, Father Victor Paysant (1841-1921) was appointed parish priest of Ménil-Gondouin, while the Saint-Vigor church was not yet completed. Until 1921, the abbot decorated and furnished the church which was nicknamed "Living and speaking Church of Ménil-Gondouin". He was a man of faith, friend of the poor, tireless pilgrim, conservator of heritage and very respectful of the past. His many trips will inspire him to decorate his church which became a Christian museum. He was inspired by churches and cathedrals covered with frescoes representing scenes from the life of Christ. This priest wanted to explain the Catholic religion by the image, he wanted to transform his church into a living catechism.
After his death, the new abbot, by order of the ecclesiastical authorities, had the paintings erased and many statues buried.
At the beginning of 2004, the Mayor of the town at that time, Guy Béchet, set out on foot to Rome to raise funds for the restoration of the decorations of the church. With the help of the association "Les Amis du Houlme", the work on the exterior facade was completed in September 2004. In 2006, the restoration work resumed. These works concern the interior of the church, as well as the floor slabs. With the help and the memory of a centenarian inhabitant of the town but also with the help of old postcards, the church finds, except for the statuary, its state of before 1921. On October 7, 2006, the bishop de Sées came to concelebrate a mass in the restored church.
Source: office-tourisme-putanges.com