Tuesday December 17, 5:30 p.m. The lounges of the town hall of Beauvais (Oise) are lit. Inside, dozens of people jostle, happy to come together for a great occasion. “If I’m here it’s for Jean», smiles a lady. In the usual wedding salon, Jean Cartier, 90 years old, about to receive the badge of Knight of the National Order of Merit. The second distinction behind the Legion, honor, no less.
In any case, it is not the protocol aspect of the ceremony that troubles the nonagenarian, always eager to make his audience smile (and laugh). Born in Beauvais in 1934 rue de l’Abattoir – “I did well» he smiles – Jean Cartier was a professor of natural sciences and founded the Beauvaisis Ceramic Research and Study Group (Grecb) in 1967. It is for all his work and his career that he was rewarded with this distinction by the former mayor of Beauvais and former minister Caroline Cayeux.
Natural science teacher and archaeologist
After university training in geology and biology, Jean Cartier taught natural sciences between 1954 and 1994 in different Beauvais establishments: at the Jules-Michelet college, at the Henri-Baumont college, at the Jean-Baptiste-Pellerin college and finally at the high school. Félix-Faure. At the start of his career, in 1954, he also developed a passion for archaeology. With friends, he scoured the Beauvais construction sites in search of old remains, and began to establish a large project as far as the Pays de Bray. At the same time, he takes his students into the field to introduce them to archaeology. “The transmission of know-how was the common thread of my activities», Comments the main person concerned.
From there, Jean Cartier organized his first exhibitions, participated in the creation of the archaeological map of Picardy (the objective of which was to target future excavation sites), and worked with British and Dutch archaeologists. “With them, you become certain that Beauvais has been exporting its ceramics to northern Europe for a long time, says Caroline Cayeux. And this discovery constitutes an essential advance for the history of local ceramics in Beauvaisis.»
He created Grecb in 1967
It was in 1967 that Jean Cartier founded the Grecb, which today brings together around a hundred members. He became president in 1994. The association still operates within Maison Gréber, classified as a historic monument in 1979, “heritage of the Beauvaisian tradition which symbolizes our identity always marked by the production of ceramics», Notes the former mayor.
Jean Cartier is also at the origin of the creation of the Ecomusée des Pays de l’Oise, which gave birth to four museums: the agricultural museum in Hétomesnil, the buttonmaking museum in Saint-Félix, the Mother-of-pearl museum in Méru and the archery museum in Crépy-en-Valois.
A second reward
Finally, his multiple works, conferences and exhibitions make Jean Cartier a true figure of Beauvaisis, worthy of receiving the medal of the National Order of Merit. “This medal is intended to reward distinguished meritsindicates Jean-Marie Julien, representative of the National Order of Merit. It reflects the dynamism of society, it sets an example, and it recognizes the diversity of French society.»
A second award to add to Jean Cartier’s collection, alongside his title of Knight of Arts and Letters.
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