Following the government-led change to the ownership and upkeep of Church buildings through the Grand Duchy, the Mayor of the Ville de Luxembourg, Lydie Polfer, has signed an agreement concerning the ownership of a number of religious buildings across the capital.

Following individual meetings with the leaders of the 19 churches and the research carried out during the year by the Geometer's Directorate, in close collaboration with the municipal archives as well as the "biens communaux" and "topography", the result is that 21 churches out of 23 that belong to a "fabrique d’églises" are part of the municipal estate of the Ville de Luxembourg.

The following "fabrique d’églises" have now signed conventions drawn up on a case-by-case basis on the basis of a model agreement proposed by the Ministry of the Interior in consultation with the Archdiocese, owner of religious buildings taht include the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg and the following parish churches and subsidiaries:

o Marie, Reine de la Paix - Bonnevoie
o St. Esprit – Cents
o St. Joseph – Cessange
o Ste Cunégonde – Clausen
o St. Hubert – Dommeldange
o Sacré Cœur – Gare
o St. Jean Baptiste – Grund
o Exaltation de la Ste Croix – Hamm
o St. Joseph – Limpertsberg
o St. Fiacre – Mühlenbach
o St. Henri – Neudorf
o St. Michel – Ville Haute
o St. Martin – Weimerskirch

By signing these agreements between the city and 12 "fabrique d’églises" representing 16 churches, the Ville de Luxembourg has declares itself ready to put the churches belonging to the municipal domain at the disposal of the new "Fonds de gestion du patrimoine du culte catholique " (Fund for the management of the patrimony of Catholic worship) , Which remains to be created, for the exercise of Catholic worship, in accordance with the provisions provided for by the proposed act.

The seven "fabrique d’églises" that have decided not to sign for the moment concern the following 7 parish churches:

 Ste Famille - Beggen
 St. Pie X - Belair
 Ste Thérèse – Gasperich
 Sts Pierre et Paul – Hollerich
 St. Gengoul – Merl
 St. Mathieu – Pfaffenthal
 St. Antoine de Padoue – Rollingergrund

In addition, the Church of Our Lady, Salvation of the Infirm in Kirchberg, located in the Rue des Maraîchers, is part of the property of the Weimerskirch "fabrique d’églises", and the Nativité de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie (Nativity chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary), located at the Glacis, Rue Nicolas Adames, belongs to the "fabrique d’églises" of Notre-Dame de Luxembourg.

As a follow-up to the Ministerial Circular No. 3393 under the Draft Law on the Management of Religious Buildings and Other Objects of Catholic Religion, the Ville de Luxembourg will submit the signed agreements as well as the titles of property and archived documents concerning the Churches which report to "fabrique d’églises" which have not yet signed the model agreement to the Ministry of the Interior.

Photo by Charles Soubry copyright Phototheque VDL