A group of the faithful has denounced the organization of an «escape room» inside the basilica of Saint-Quentin, in northern France, and has requested that the activity be moved to another space. The game is scheduled for August 19, 21, 28, and 29 and has been presented as an initiative to «discover the religious heritage in a different way and attract a younger audience.»
According to Tribune Chrétienne, which has had access to the letter sent by the faithful, the proposal will consist of a clue-hunting dynamic inside the church until the puzzles of a so-called «escape box» are solved. The sessions planned for August are already full.
«No to the profanation of the holy place»
The protest has been addressed to Father Matthieu Saur, parish priest of Saint-Quentin–Notre-Dame, with a copy to Father Bernard Proffit, diocesan administrator of Soissons, Laon, and Saint-Quentin.
The heading of the letter leaves no doubt about the signatories’ position: «No to the escape game in the basilica, no to the profanation of the holy place.»
The faithful recall that the remains of Saint Quentin, a martyr and evangelizer historically linked to the Picardy region, rest in the basilica, and emphasize that the church continues to be dedicated to worship, prayer, and the celebration of the sacraments.
They also warn that the dynamics of this type of game can lead to disorderly movement, noise, laughter, and shouting inside a consecrated space.
The signatories claim that it is difficult for them to believe that the ecclesiastical authorities have authorized an activity of this kind inside the basilica and maintain that during those days the sacred character of the place would be seriously damaged.
They request that the activity be moved outside the basilica
The letter does not oppose an «escape room» being organized in a civil or heritage building. What it rejects is the use of a church that continues to be dedicated to worship for this purpose.
Therefore, the faithful request that the game be moved to another space and urge the parish priest to intervene to prevent the basilica from becoming the setting for an entertainment activity.
Canon 1210 and the use of sacred places
The authors of the letter also base their protest on Canon 1210 of the Code of Canon Law, according to which only what serves or promotes worship, piety, or religion should be admitted in a sacred place, although ecclesiastical authority may exceptionally authorize other uses that are not contrary to the holiness of the place.
They also recall the guidelines of the French episcopate to prevent a church from ending up being treated as an ordinary performance hall and appeal to French legislation on buildings dedicated to worship.
The controversy thus reveals a broader problem: the tendency to treat historic churches as cultural spaces available for any use, forgetting that their heritage value does not annul the purpose for which they were consecrated.