The ruins of the Florida haunt the old town of Langon

Sad fate that of this building, which before being a cinema, was a church, that of Notre-Dame-du-Bourg, whose ruins of the choir are visible from the Jean-Jaurès alleys.

The best place to get a sense of its past splendor is far enough away in New York. The capitals of the church, these richly sculpted stones which support the vaults, were acquired in the 1920s by a wealthy American who loved old stones. His collection will become the Cloisters museum in Manhattan.

This church, which depended on the abbey of La Sauve-Majeure, was founded in the 12th century. Nationalized during the Revolution, it was sold and then passed into the private domain. It housed the meetings of the club of revolutionaries.

Its bell tower, a three-storey square tower, was razed in 1821. The depredations continued with the looting of stones by successive owners.

Then, in 1936, the main part of the nave of the church is transformed into a cinema . It was in 1939 that the grandfather of Robert Lamothe, the current owner, acquired the walls of the cinema, leaving its management to a third party.

In 1983, Michel Cursan had the 288 square meters of the building converted into two rooms, one of which was 121 square meters. In 1985, Emmanuel Raymond took over the operation of the cinema. Times are tough and the manager has to keep a job on the side to make ends meet. Competition is in full swing in Langon, with the Le Rio cinema, located right next to the town hall.

A dramatic turn of events in the year 2000: in quick succession, Emmanuel Raymond bought out the management of Le Rio and closed Le Florida, following a two-month period during which he considered operating both.

He then dismantles the interior which belongs to him, leaving the places empty and cold.

Since then, the cinema has been closed and attempts to convert it have failed . Even worse, bulldozers attack the remains of the choir . Marie-Madeleine Gauthier, researcher at the CNRS, passionate regarding the church, is moved and prevents it. In 2005, a buyout proposal from the town hall was made, but the price was deemed too low by Robert Lamothe.

Today the mayor Philippe Plagnol says Florida’s future is not a priority for his team “We want to revitalize the city center starting with the quays and the Carmes, then the Place de l’Horloge. »

For his part, the owner insists: “I would like it to become something and I will collaborate very willingly. Especially since the American museum is ready to offer casts of the capitals to recreate the splendor of the building. In a sad voice, Robert Lamothe concludes: “They have nothing that can remind Langon of the past. »