Permanent or Temporary Dwellings

Permanent or Temporary Dwellings

The buildings were constructed from the abundant volcanic rocks of the Cantal. The traditional dwellings often had an architectural quality in the variety of plans and richness of the decorative material used for the walls. Black basalt or grey or red trachyandesite mixed their shades with lichens and moss. Superb roofs of lauzes, tiles of volcanic rock found in the subsoil, acted as insulation.

The Rudimentary House

This was composed of only one room, with a large fireplace or ‘cantou’, where all the cooking was done. It could extend vertically with an attic and an underground cellar. The cellars and attics were accessed by an interior trap door or outside stairs. Outside it added a hen house and a pig sty. It was the dwelling of the day, small and without comfort. Today it is totally abandoned or rebuilt as a rural gîte.

La Maison-Bloc

A ‘maison-bloc’ is a single building housing the dwelling, cowshed and barn under one roof. Its aspect varied with local economic reality, but it corresponded to a system where the householders produced, transformed and ate, in self sufficiency in one place. Meals were taken around a long heavy table. The master sat at the head of the table, with children and farm hands on benches on either side. The mistress of the house served first and took her meal after the men had finished. The room also served as sleeping quarters for the family. The farm hands generally slept in the cowshed or barn.

In the single storey maison-bloc the cowshed adjoined the dwelling. The barn was above the cowshed with openings in the floor the length of the wall for distributing the hay to the mangers. It was accessible by a ramp called a ‘montadou’. It was the house of the smallholder in the areas of mixed cultivation. In the two storey maison-bloc the living quarters were above the barn/cowshed and served by an exterior wooden staircase. This occurred principally in the south west area of the Massif. It was the house for small agricultural activities, vineyards and artisans.

Maison-bloc, Chazes hamlet

The House with Separate Activities

As the level of life improved the houses became more comfortable particularly the major houses. The barn/cowshed was moved from the dwelling, often in a random fashion. The dwelling had the same floor area but the number of rooms was increased with an entrance hall, scullery, lumber room, sitting room, and bedrooms above.

Walking in the Cantal for information on walking and walks in France and the Cantal, accommodation, food and wine.
Walking in France for information on France and GR footpaths.
Auvergne active Self guided walking holidays in the Cantal
Hôtel des Chazes - 2Star and Les Sources - Table & Chambre d'Hôte, St Jacques des Blats. Both excellent bases from which to explore the Cantal.
Monts d'Auvergne-Auvergne Hills for a description and pictures of the area, with suggested walks.
Éditions Chamina for walking guides in the Massif Central.

Classic Geology in Auvergne by Peter Cattermole ISBN 1-903544-05-x available from Blackwells