Rachida Dati has had a strange case on her desk in recent days. The French minister of culture will have to decide on the rather baroque issue of the Florus Solatium hams that have been hanging in a tower in Saint-Flour Cathedral in the department of Cantal, for the past two years. As revealed by regional daily La Montagne, a regional representative of the association Architects of the Buildings of France recently called for their removal, warning of several issues: According to him, the grease released from the ham would deteriorate the edifice and pose safety problems in the event of fire.
The genesis of this strange story dates back to 2022 and an initiative by Abbé Philippe Boyer, rector of the building for 12 years, now parish priest of the bigger town of Aurillac. He had to renovate the cathedral's organ, which was in poor condition. The work would cost tens of thousands of euros but the municipality, owner of the organ, didn't have the money; neither did the State, owner of the building, and the diocese even less. Abbé Boyer, who had already installed beehives on the cathedral roof to produce honey, turned to Altitude, a local agricultural cooperative.
After a blessing ceremony, some 50 swaddled hams were then hung from the beams of an attic in the cathedral's north tower, under the protection of Saint Antoine, patron saint of charcutiers. "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, told Le Monde. Perfect for making a premium product (sold for around €150 each) in the face of "heavy industrial artillery," he said. The profits would be used to finance work on the cathedral.
Behind the financial operation was also the image of a church "close to rural territories," working to "enhance a local subsidiary," said Abbé Boyer, all with the obvious support of the diocese's bishop, Didier Noblot, who is responsible for rural mission at the French Bishops' Conference. "We're getting back to the fundamentals of the great abbeys that have always worked with the agricultural world," said Abbé Boyer.
That's why this dispute has taken on the air of the rural world's battle against a fussy Parisian administration. "We're in an highly administered country, with a somewhat invasive side at times. With a little goodwill on everyone's part, we could have found a solution that would be sustainable, safe, and which would not harm the goodwill of others," said Philippe Delort, the town's mayor (no party label). "The Minister of Culture has asked the Prefect of Cantal to look into ways of continuing this experiment in complete safety, while respecting heritage conservation," Le Monde was told by the ministry.
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