The Fondation Etrillard supports the Fondation de l'Abbaye de Saint-Maurice in the restoration of two shrines from the Treasury of the Abbey, founded in 515: the Great Shrine of Saint Maurice and the Shrine of Abbot Nantelme. This support was motivated by the Fondation Etrillard’s policy of promoting the restoration of works that testify to the technical and artistic excellence of old masters and whose state of preservation no longer allows for public display. The Foundation is also sensitive to the discoveries made during restoration and the innovation that can result from it.
The restoration work on the Great Shrine of Saint Maurice concluded in 2021. It consisted of the complete removal of the reliquary’s outer layer, made up of over 300 ornaments (silver and gilded silver plaques, set gems and glass pastes, niello plaques, etc.) and 2,000 nails. To restore the original luster to the Great Shrine, the tarnishing of the silver was reduced by electrolytic cleaning using an innovative tool developed in partnership with the Haute École Arc in Neuchâtel: the Pleco. Finally, the restoration work on the Shrine of Abbot Nantelme will continue until 2024 to complete the transmission of this sacred and unique heritage to future generations.
Thanks to the support of the Fondation Etrillard, the Shrine of Saint Maurice has regained its full meaning, and the public can finally rediscover it.