Maxula Radès church
| Maxula Radès church | |
|---|---|
| Église de Maxula-Radès | |
 Maxula Radès church on 25 October 2023. | |
 | |
| 36°46′6″N 10°16′32″E / 36.76833°N 10.27556°E | |
| Address | Radès, Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Abbé Martin |
| Architectural type | Parish church |
| Closed | 1964 |
The Maxula Radès church (French: Église de Maxula-Radès), located in the town of Radès in Tunisia, is a Catholic church built in 1911 during the French protectorate of Tunisia. Ceded to the Tunisian government in 1964, it is currently abandoned.
History[edit]
First buildings[edit]
At the end of the 19th century, the presence of an orphanage run by Franciscan sisters from Egypt of Italian nationality allowed Christians to come together to pray. The transfer of the nuns to Tunis makes it essential to create a permanent place of worship in a city which is seeing its population increase considerably as new villas are built, occupied during the summer, and with the influx of new inhabitants. encouraged by the installation of two boarding schools in the city.[1] The parish of Radès was created in 1900.
A temporary chapel made entirely of metal was built. The very particular construction material explains that “in winter, it freezes there and in summer, it was a furnace”.
During the French protectorate[edit]
The steps for the construction of a permanent place of worship began in 1900 when the municipal council of Maxula Radès requested from the government of the protectorate the granting of a subsidy for the purchase of land and the construction of a church. In its response of 15 November 1900, the general secretariat of the government recalled that in the name of the separation of Church and State, the latter cannot subsidize the construction of a religious building. As for the land, the Department of Agriculture having been consulted with a view to transferring a plot of land, responded that "the State domain does not have any land in Radès that could be used for the construction of a church and a presbytery”. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tunis, Monseigneur Clément Combes, had no choice but to buy a plot of land of 1,010 m2 for the sum of 1,515 francs from two individuals, Mrs Foin and Miraude.
It was Father Martin, parish priest of Hammam-Lif, who was responsible for drawing the plans for the building, helped by a contractor, Mr. Nicolas. The budget for the project amounts to 19,460 francs financed for 13,500 francs by the archbishopric of Carthage, the balance coming from donations from the faithful. The church was inaugurated in 1911 and celebrated in the diocesan newspaper:
The church is placed equidistant from the hill where so many graceful chalets stand and from the plain where the schools and French villas are hidden in the middle of the eternally flowering gardens. The bell tower will dominate the green countryside where the Bône-Guelma railway company winds through the vineyards and the pretty beach where bathers come to seek freshness and health.
Ater independence[edit]
The independence of Tunisia in 1956 caused the departure of most Europeans. The church was finally closed on the occasion of the modus vivendi signed between the Tunisian government and the Vatican City on 10 July 1964. The building was transferred free of charge with the assurance that it would only be used for purposes of public interest.[2] It is then left abandoned.
As part of a project to transform it into a cultural center, work began in September 2022 before being interrupted in December due to the discovery of Punic cisterns which are the subject of excavations by the National Heritage Institute (INP).[3] On 5 June 2023, a cooperation agreement was signed between the INP and the Chinese National Archaeological Research Center to study the archaeological finds, publish the results of the research and maintain, develop and preserve the site.[4]
- Photos of the church on 25 October 2023.
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Main entrance. -
East side. -
South side.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ François Dornier (2000), La Vie des catholiques en Tunisie au fil des ans (in French), Tunis: Imprimerie Finzi, Wikidata Q115736436
- ^ "Modus vivendi entre le Saint Siège et la République tunisienne" (PDF). iuscangreg.
- ^ "Fin des fouilles sur le site de l'église de Maxula-Radès - Tekiano :: TeK'n'Kult" (in French). 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Accord de coopération tuniso-chinois relatif aux travaux sur le site archéologique de Ben Arous". Webdo TN (in French). 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
