Saint-Flour (15): The French building authorities are requesting the removal of hams drying in a cathedral tower. (Update: Abbé Boyer receives the Agricultural Merit Award for his cured meats)

In Saint-Flour, Abbé Boyer received the Agricultural Merit Award for his salted meats hung beneath the cathedral bells. An idea that became a worldwide success... despite the war waged against him by the Drac.

Three years later, the die is cast: the Auvergne hams resold for €150 have brought in €15,000, and the organ has regained its voice. But this success has a bitter taste. The DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) is stepping in, brandishing safety arguments: " We're told we'll stain the floor, which could catch fire ," the priest deadpans: " The grease here comes from the bells, not the hams. And for them to catch fire, the cathedral would have to burn down first... What's more, the firefighters have agreed with us. " […]

Michèle, from the Friends of the Cathedral association, smiles: " Yesterday morning, we sold 16 packages. People come especially. It brings us a lot of people. " For this initiative, Father Boyer has just been appointed to the National Order of Agricultural Merit, a high distinction intended to reward people who have rendered outstanding services to agriculture. " This medal is not mine but everyone's, from the producer to the volunteers. It's also a little snub ," jokes the priest, who does not intend to stop there. [...]

The Parisian

Thanks to Vercingetorix43

A strange issue has landed on Rachida Dati's desk in recent days. The Minister of Culture will have to decide on the rather bizarre issue of the Florus Solatium hams that have been hanging for two years in a tower of the Saint-Flour Cathedral (Cantal). As revealed by the regional daily La Montagne, a regional representative of the French Building Architects recently called for their removal, warning on several issues: according to him, the fat from the ham would damage the building and pose safety problems in the event of a fire.

The genesis of this strange story dates back to 2022 and an initiative by Father Philippe Boyer, rector of the building for twelve years, now parish priest of the town of Aurillac. He was tasked with renovating the cathedral's organ, which was in poor condition. The cost of the work: several tens of thousands of euros. But the municipality, which owned the organ, didn't have the money; neither did the State, which owned the building, and even less so the diocese. Father Boyer, who had already installed beehives on the cathedral's roof to produce honey, then turned to a local agricultural cooperative, Altitude.

[…] “ The location was ideal for drying, at an altitude of almost 1,000 meters, in the highest cathedral in Europe, caught between the winds of the Planèze and those of the Margeride ,” Didier Boussaroque, president of the cooperative, explains to Le Monde. Perfect for making it a “ premium product” (sold for around 150 euros each) in the face of “heavy industrial artillery ,” he adds. […] In the meantime, the organ has been renovated.

The World

Thanks to Taxi Girl