Time capsule found in foundation of church in France

A sealed iron box was recently discovered in the foundation stone of a church in Le Teil (France). Damaged in an earthquake, the church is being replaced.

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In Le Teil, Ardèche (southern France), a page is being turned, but a new one is also being written. Weakened by the earthquake of 2019, the church in the commune of Le Teil is currently being demolished. A new church is to be built just a few yards away.

During the demolition, a time capsule in the form of an iron canister was found in the foundation stone of a pillar on the north-east side of the building. Opened on Tuesday, May 20, in the presence of the mayor, the vicar general of the Viviers diocese and the parish priest, it contained a few coins and a letter. Dated 1896, it talked about the blessing of the foundation stone of the new church in Le Teil. “In the year of Our Lord 1896, on the 10th of October before noon, to the glory of Almighty God and in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I, Emile Pranec, parish priest of Le Teil, blessed the foundation stone of this church,” it reads.

BOITE-FER-BENEDICTION-EGLISE-DU-TEIL — *The iron canister contained a letter about the blessing and a few coins.*

Père Bernard Jobert

“We feel part of a history”

“It’s a fairly common tradition, and we knew we’d find one,” Fr. Fabien Plantier, vicar general of the diocese, told Aleteia. “But it’s always moving to know that you’re part of a history, part of a continuity. (…) We feel part of a history; there were people before us and there will be people after us!”

The original document will be handed over to the Ardèche departmental archives. A photocopy will be made and incorporated into one of the foundation stones of the new Le Teil church, on which work is due to start in September 2024. The text found in the old church will be joined by a new text explaining the context of the demolition and reconstruction of a new church.

This approach, which he readily describes as a “testimony of faith,” is a beautiful way of “putting everything under the gaze of Christ.” The new building should welcome its first Mass on Christmas 2025. It will be a true symbol of hope for a commune that is very attached to its religious heritage.