Here is the Aveyron site which was selected this year by Stéphane Bern’s Heritage Mission, and which needs a facelift.
The 100 endangered sites selected by Stéphane Bern’s Heritage Mission were unveiled on Monday, September 2, 2024. One monument per department is designated each year to obtain financial support and carry out work with a view to preserving the historic site.
The hamlet of Bez, in Sévérac-d’Aveyron, is the lucky one designated for 2024 in Aveyron. This isolated hamlet on the Causse de Sévérac is positioned at an altitude of 780 meters, an area whose first mention dates back to the 13th century. Its owner was then a damoiseau, Guillaume Ricard. He is said to have received it as a gift from King Charles V.
“From the 17th century, the lords of Sévérac chose this favorite place for their hunting trips. The construction of the fortified house dates from this period, thus serving as a hunting lodge. Over the centuries, other families owned it – notably the Corbières. The First World War was a major turning point for the estate, left abandoned. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Delcros family set up a farm there. But the house remained uninhabited for around ten years, until 2022.”
The new owners are trying to preserve the estate, but the task is difficult. They want to rehabilitate the site while respecting the old buildings to create a place for cultural sharing, alongside the association “L’herbe sous le pied”.
What work is needed to restore the estate?
The site has a fortified house, which dates back to the 17th century, with a round tower on the main side which houses a staircase. A square tower is located at the back, probably the remains of an old watchtower from the Middle Ages. Two barns, a kennel and a bakehouse complete the estate. “All the buildings are built according to traditional Caussenard architecture, in limestone and slate. These constructions escaped ruin. This is unfortunately not the case for the rest of the hamlet, of which only a few elements remain in very poor condition”, explains the Heritage Mission.
Summary work in the 1950s was not enough to rehabilitate the site. The Heritage Mission hopes to raise 10,000 euros to carry out “a restoration of the architectural ensemble”: the roofs will be redone in limestone slate, the facades will be redone traditionally in exposed stone lime joints, the openings and joinery of each building will be reviewed. “Structural consolidation by redoing the vaults and beams is also to be planned, to allow the longevity of the site for decades to come”.
950 endangered sites supported since 2018
Since its launch in 2018, the Heritage Mission has contributed to the restoration of more than 950 sites in France, including more than 125 emblematic sites that have benefited from the craze surrounding the Heritage Lottery scratch cards. Of the 835 departmental sites selected since 2018, “more than 70% of them have already been saved”. 340 restoration projects have been completed, and 280 projects are still in progress.
