A historic former church in Digby County has been saved.

The St. Bernard church was officially purchased by two Acadian groups on Friday.

It was finalized by the Diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

The church was deconsecrated in 2022.

The 2.5 million dollar deal means work can begin on renovating the building.

One of the groups involved is the St. Bernard Heritage Society.

President Jean Le Blanc says they want to put on a metal roof first.

“We’ll also be putting water and sewer back into the church in August. There will be other project that come along as we see the need,” said Le Blanc.

The other group in the purchase is Nation Prospère Acadie.

Le Blanc says a fundraising campaign is on-going, and they hope to have the building ready for the 2024 World Acadian Congress in Clare.

“Hopefully we can have it ready for some of the family reunions for the event next year. We’ll then do a feasibility study on some uses for the building that can benefit the community, and at the same time can pay for itself to not drain local resources.”

The church is the largest stone building in Atlantic Canada, and opened in 1942.

It took 32 years to build.