Thann
The collegiate church of Saint-Thiébaut
Built over 200 years and completed in 1516, the collegiate church of Saint-Thiébaut is one of the last great achievements of Gothic art in Europe. Its portal decorated with 512 statues makes it a unique monument.
The restoration first consisted of cleaning the thick layer of dirt that had accumulated over time using various techniques (micro-scrubbing, compresses or laser). Next, new sculpture was used to restore the missing parts of the statues. Other figurative elements were recreated on the basis of old documentation.
Puy-Sainte-Réparade
The Fonscolombe estate
The Fonscolombe estate is an 18th century Provencal jewel. SOCRA participated in a vast restoration programme carried out in 2016 which restored the castle to its former glory. At the edge of a bald cypress tree, a basin houses the statue of Hercules, whose poor condition (biological colonisation and gaps) required restoration.
SOCRA was involved in restoring, among other things, the statue of Hercules. It was removed and transported to our workshop, where it benefited from all our expertise. A primary cleaning with a soft hump followed by the application of a biocide eliminated the biological residues. A micro-scrubbing cleaning was carried out, before the statuary was consolidated (repair of the jointing, installation of dowels) and before grafts were put in place with stone plugs to complete certain deficient parts of the statue. Finally, a harmonising patina was applied to give coherence to the whole.
PARIS
The church of Val de Grace
The Val-de-Grâce abbey was founded in the 17th century by Queen Anne of Austria, in recognition of the birth of the dauphin, the future Louis XIV. Today it houses the museum and library of the Service de Santé des Armées and the Ecole du Val-de-Grâce.
The sculpted elements adorning the exterior of the Church and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament belong to a decorative ensemble created by Philippe de Buyster in the 17th century (1661). These monumental sculptures have suffered from the wear and tear of time, particularly from erosion and atmospheric pollution.
The groups of angels above the Sacristy, in a particularly degraded state, were removed in September 2011 in order to respond to the urgent need for public safety and conservation. Unable to be reinstalled because they were too fragile, these statues were restored in conservation and then a copy in reconstituted stone was made for installation in situ. The original groups of angels, once restored, were displayed in the sacristy.
Montargis
The arcades of Lorris
These arcades are a fragmentary presentation of the first floor of a former Templar commandery of the 12th and 13th centuries , which was located in Lorris. They show the skills of medieval masons, stone cutters and sculptors: they have a rhythmic arcature of five geminated bays, topped by a tympanum in the form of a pointed arch. Each tympanum has its own decoration, while the pillars and voussoirs are richly decorated with sculpted motifs.
The arches have been removed several times and then reassembled in various places, suffering from direct exposure to the weather on both sides, and badly damaged by erosion and biological colonisation.
SOCRA intervened to treat the causes of the deterioration thanks to a wide range of expertise. The techniques used (removal of the sculpted parts, desalination, laser cleaning, levelling, application of a harmonising patina and waterproofing) enabled the arches to be restored to their original glory.
burgundy
Restoration of a balcony
Paris
The July Column
The famous column in the Place de la Bastille was erected to commemorate the Three Glorious Revolution (27-28-29 July 1830), which marked the fall of Charles IX and the Restoration.
SOCRA worked on the restoration of the marbles inside the column. After a work of depollution, SOCRA restored the marbles by eliminating the varnish which covered them, purged the old restorations, and took back the existing gaps. Sanding and polishing were carried out at the end of the restoration in order to harmonise all the surfaces and to erase the flush defects.
Material
Stucco & Staff
Material
Metal