Peyresq
Encyclopedia
Peyresq is a French village in the commune
of Thorame-Haute
in France, perched on a rocky outcrop of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
at 1,528 metres above sea level.
Peyresq (then spelled Peiresc) gave its name to the famous humanist Nicolas Claude Fabri de Peiresc - he was its lord, but never set foot there. After the French Revolution
, the village came to be spelled as Peyresq, and in November 1964 it was merged with the village of La Colle-Saint-Michel to create a new commune called Saint-Michel-Peyresq. That commune was in turn absorbed by the municipality of Thorame-Haute
in March 1974.
, was searching the region for a site for a holiday camp for his students and found Peyresq almost completely abandoned and almost all its houses in ruins. Falling in love with the village's charm, he decided to reconstruct it in his own image. His friend Toine Smets, an entrepreneur from Brussels, decided to finance the project. According to the historian Louise Sgaravizzi, in 1953 of 53 houses 24% were habitable, 40 % needed restoration and 16 % were in ruins (the majority on what is now called the cour des Métiers). The access route to the village was paved in 1953. In 1954, the last farmer stopped farming in the fields at the foot of the village.
In 1954, the young architect Pierre Lamby joined the project. At the same time, Toine Smets revealed Peyresq to Lucien and Jane Jacquet, who founded the association Pro Peyresq, soon joined by Jacques Waefelaer and his wife Jacqueline, respectively treasurer and "responsable de l'intendance" (économat).
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Thorame-Haute
Thorame-Haute
Thorame-Haute is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Geography:Thorame-Haute is a village in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, fixed on the foot of the Massif of Chamatte at an altitude of , in the valley of the High-Verdon. The culminating point is on the mountain of...
in France, perched on a rocky outcrop of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French department in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.- History :Nord-de-Provence was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
at 1,528 metres above sea level.
History
The village first appears in charters of 1042 as Petriscum, referring to its rocky surroundings..Peyresq (then spelled Peiresc) gave its name to the famous humanist Nicolas Claude Fabri de Peiresc - he was its lord, but never set foot there. After the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the village came to be spelled as Peyresq, and in November 1964 it was merged with the village of La Colle-Saint-Michel to create a new commune called Saint-Michel-Peyresq. That commune was in turn absorbed by the municipality of Thorame-Haute
Thorame-Haute
Thorame-Haute is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Geography:Thorame-Haute is a village in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, fixed on the foot of the Massif of Chamatte at an altitude of , in the valley of the High-Verdon. The culminating point is on the mountain of...
in March 1974.
Reconstruction and renaissance
In 1952, Georges Lambeau, director of the Académie des Beaux-Arts at NamurNamur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, was searching the region for a site for a holiday camp for his students and found Peyresq almost completely abandoned and almost all its houses in ruins. Falling in love with the village's charm, he decided to reconstruct it in his own image. His friend Toine Smets, an entrepreneur from Brussels, decided to finance the project. According to the historian Louise Sgaravizzi, in 1953 of 53 houses 24% were habitable, 40 % needed restoration and 16 % were in ruins (the majority on what is now called the cour des Métiers). The access route to the village was paved in 1953. In 1954, the last farmer stopped farming in the fields at the foot of the village.
In 1954, the young architect Pierre Lamby joined the project. At the same time, Toine Smets revealed Peyresq to Lucien and Jane Jacquet, who founded the association Pro Peyresq, soon joined by Jacques Waefelaer and his wife Jacqueline, respectively treasurer and "responsable de l'intendance" (économat).