On this December evening, the Buffa neighborhood was rather crowded and for once, it was neither an accident nor a traffic jam. After nine months of construction, the crypt of the Saint Pierre d’Arène church, renamed Forum Jorge François, was inaugurated by the man behind it, Father Gilles Fiorini.
The work was lengthy and bringing the project to fruition was even more complex. Everything had to be redone; after decades of abandonment, the crypt looked more like a storage for old items and the various rooms were unsanitary and unusable.
It was the completion of this refurbishment that was celebrated this Wednesday, in a place where the oldest among us have memories: those of charitable works, scouting with the cub scouts of the 6th Nice troop, made famous by the film “The Christmas Tree.”
The tour of the place gave us an overview of the crypt’s range of possibilities. By the way, we should no longer refer to it as a crypt. In the strict sense of the word, the term is incorrect since no masses will be held there and moreover, the sacred dimension is absent.
It’s a friendly place, a place for everyone. Imagine yourself aboard a cruise ship. The metaphor is not exaggerated. There we find, addressing the main reason for this realization: A restaurant, a shop, and a grocery store, all in solidarity.
Everything has been designed to welcome the most disadvantaged and especially to respect their human dignity. Culture has a large part here with an auditorium that can host theater, cinema, or conferences. Nice has always been an artistic hub, and an exhibition gallery is there to meet the artists’ needs to express and showcase their works. The multipurpose room will allow organizing seminars, conferences, meetings, debates, or workshops. Nothing is impossible, except the unexpected, and even that has probably been considered.
These prestigious achievements are a welcome asset in this neighborhood. One might bet on the immediate success of the restaurant, the shop, and the grocery store as well as on an interest that should grow for the theater and the exhibition gallery. Events are already planned.
The name given to this complex: Forum Jorge François, quite a program in itself when considering the direction the Holy Father has given to his pontificate.
Thierry Jan
