In Gironde, an 11th century cathedral rises from the ground thanks to a hundred volunteers

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At the roundabout at the entrance to La Lande-de-Fronsac (Gironde), it is now possible to go back in time to the Middle Ages.

The L’Illot commercial activity zone on one side of the roundabout contrasts with the new space on the other side: the medieval construction site of Guyenne.

Another 40 years of work

Arrival on the stone path marks the passage towards a bubble outside of time. If it was just agricultural land a few months ago, we can now see the foundations of a monumental project.

The plans displayed at reception explain this very well. Within forty years a cathedral built by volunteer contemporaries should rise. For now, this is only the beginning of the chapel.

Indeed, this construction is progressing thanks to the hands of a current team of around fifteen members, five employees and around a hundred volunteers.

Inspired by the frigate Hermione

All imagined six years ago by the project director, Valéry Ossent, inspired by the Guedelon construction site in Burgundy and the Hermione frigate in Rochefort. “It took several years for me to say to myself: it’s possible,” says the latter.

This project, which takes us back to the year 1024, “is in no way a copy of an existing chapel, but a synthesis of what we could have found in the local landscape,” adds Valéry Ossent.

A village surrounding the bases of the chapel stands on this field. Made up of a forge, a mortar hut, a monks’ hut and a rich square vegetable garden, everyone tries their hand at these ancient practices.

This village is only temporary, since it is based on the extent of the future chapel. Bordered by a sheep enclosure, at the bottom of the land behind fine trees, there is also an introductory workshop for stone cutting and engraving.

Designed for visitors, some have also left their creation. In single file, small irregular stones form a rampart. Going up next to the monks’ cabin made of dried brande, a miniature lime kiln stands among the herbs. Surprising, compared to other buildings on a human scale.

A socio-professional project

Nils, an employee here since the start of the project, explains that “Fred, the site manager, helped children from schools or a leisure center to build this little oven. » Even the youngest get involved. The director’s reflection “Heritage speaks to everyone” takes on its full meaning here.

If this idea took a while to come together before its start in October 2023, it is because of the desire to make this project a “socio-professional” project, explains Valéry. He wanted to obtain professional integration approval in his approach.

Affected by long-term unemployment, Fronsadais was a good location to host a project offering “building training”. While showing the tools, replicas of period tools, Nils says that he learned masonry on the site and that “as the chronological order progresses, there will be developments in the work on the rock “.

We are currently training young people in stone cutting, and perhaps they will come back to another era.

He also specifies that among the volunteers, interns or craftsmen, there are all ages, and from all regions: “Some sometimes come from far away to help us. »

This spirit of mutual assistance makes the director proud: “It’s interesting and fun. We have all ages and all social categories to work together on a wall,” he concludes with enthusiasm.

Elodie Sayers-Larrieu

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