Pranksters swap holy water with alcohol in French church

BESANÇON: Tourists visiting a church in the picturesque French town of ChateauChalon were surprised to discover that local pranksters had replaced the fonts’ holy water with alcohol, the local tourism office said on Friday.

A dozen tourists sniffed out the telltale signs of eau-de-vie, a clear fruit brandy, when they visited the church in Jura, eastern France, at the end of last month.

“I made the sign of the cross and it smelt like eau-devie.

“Is this a local tradition?” the tourists asked officials at the nearby visitor centre.

The enquiries prompted the authorities to carry out an impromptu investigation.

“A litre of brandy had been poured into both of the fonts,” local tourism official Pauline Fisseau said.

“You can really smell the alcohol when you walk into the church.”

The church is not regularly used for mass and the fonts are usually empty.

The two fonts were immediately drained and cleaned before being filled with more traditional holy water ahead of a festival the following day.

The identity of the pranksters and their intentions remain unknown.

Village mayor Christian Vuillaume said it was “clearly a joke”.

“It made me laugh,” he said. “I think the people who did it had a sense of humour and wanted to break with tradition,” he said.

“But I don’t think everyone was amused.” AFP

I think the people who did it had a sense of humour and wanted to break with tradition. But I don’t think everyone was amused.