The Association Carpenters without borders, an association with a traditional work as a doctrine and a class of carpenter apprentices of Compagnons du Devoir and of Tour de France from Rouen will come in September to restore voluntarily the framing of the forge of Tibanesti Mansion (in Moldavia) in restoration for 10 years.
They provide their time and expertise, to promote an old craft, and mainly they try to others the practice, science and labour represented by the magnificent wooden framing, holding out the centuries. Our carpenters are the heirs of such treasures of science and skill.
For this, they are crossing the world.
The Carpenters without borders have bought their ticket, the European program Erasmus has financed the entire trip and the travel fees of apprentices (this is part of their study). It is an extraordinary example of solidarity and generosity, of people and institutions.
The right side of framing will be restored: 440 sq m of tiles : 8000 tiles !
The blacksmith "Compagnons du Devoir and Tour de France" have established here, residing this year in Tibanesti and who are reviving for 11 year a professional activity and a training activity, this time with the pupils of the local vocational school. They are thrilled to see other collaborators working at the mansion!
This new framing and its roof will allow the creation of a usable space under the roof, which is not the case for the moment. This will be an important aid for the continuation of the project, first for the sanitation of premise and then for accepting courses, training actions with the Collaborators and the summer workshops. The entire project has been approved by the Administration of Historical Monuments, providing support for the acquirement of construction permit.
These locations are situated along the main street and shelter village activities. « The cafe » opened to everyone has view to the premise through a large window, to a small museum and communitarian laundry. Currently, it is a very animated site, visible support of the action for the village of Maria Association and pivot of the organisation of park and mansion restoration, that need several works.
Few historical data
Moldavia (in Romanian : Moldova) is a historical and geographical region of Europe, corresponding to the ancient Principality of Moldavia, currently shared by Romania, Moldova Republic and Ukraine. Today, 56% of Moldavians are living in the Romanian part, and the rest in Moldavia Republic and Ukraine merging with Russian colonists and other who came here in 1812 and mainly starting with 1945, and their descendants.
40 kilometres South-East of Iassy, the county municipality of Moldavia, the Tibanesti Mansion classified as Historical Monument, with its park and neighbourhoods form an important ensemble.
Built in XVII century and restored at the end of XIX century by P.P. Carp (1837-1919), man of culture, twice prime minister of Romania, it represents from an architectural and historical perspective a very important asset of this county and country.
The mansion, with outbuildings, the mausoleum of Carp family designed by Eiffel and park thereof (reduced by constructions made during the communist era out of which a school for 500 pupils) are registered as Historical Monuments (24-B-593). Starting with the ’60s, several works were made in the park without the approval of the administration of Historical Monuments (construction for firemen, a heating station, cutting trees in the park).
The mansion was devastated after the revolution of 1989, pursuant to the petition of restitution of former owners. It was used as school for 50 years and it was in good condition…
Difficult to recover, it has been for 10 years the object of a meritorious project of restoration (in fact of salvation…) instituted by Maria Association. It focused on reviving the crafts of patrimony and traditional techniques of construction, project with the participation of Pro Patrimonio Foundation, Compagnons du Devoir, Rempart Association and several volunteers from the entire world. It attracts a high number of volunteers, by its diversity and quality of achievements and international environment.
All visitors preserve unforgettable memories! The restoration of coating, the ecological insulation, the restoration of ancient ceramic stoves, school of photography, pottery workshop….
Maria Association
Maria Association, being entrusted the project to revive the mansion, is contracting this year Compagnons for the training of youth and organises summer construction sites and everything related to the restoration of premises.
It has been restored the internal insulation of mansion of straw and ground, innovative and internal ecological coating (earth on concrete), traditional ceramic stoves, part of disappeared friezes, the ground of the small museum, a dwelling for guardian and his family and for blacksmith.
Pro Patrimonio Foundation
Pro Patrimonio, partner of Maria Association since the beginning of project, whose projects of Patrimony being located in different site countrywide and being of different kinds, is currently looking fortiles for the roof of the Mansion!
This Romanian Foundation and its affiliates from France and England have been operating for 17 years. It collaborates with several organizations in Romania and abroad. Its main duty is to restore, defend and value the material and immaterial Romanian patrimony, repressed by 50 years of communism and 25 years of chaotic and difficult exit from this regime disappeared in 1990.
Within a less favourable economic and legal context, the Foundation is restoring monuments that it owns or not, it deals with reviving the crafts of patrimony, defends patrimony against destruction, promotes it before public authorities and population and provides advising services in this field.
All actions undertaken are closely connected to social and economic environment of project. Patrimony without people lacks sense, mainly in a country where communist propaganda has denigrated it for 50 years. It must be reconnected to history and be assigned cultural and economic legitimacy, mainly in disinherited areas such as Țibănești. Generally, the Foundation is trying to create a small nucleus of active and interested people, willing to offer a new life to such monuments, that they are trying to save and restore to include it in the cultural and economic life. Like Tibanesti, it has its main projects,
This collection will serve to buy tiles to cover the new framing. Once the framing restored, the roof must be restored as well! A framing without tiles is not a roof! Those in charge to cover it shall follow the carpenters.
The tiles must be installed before winter, which use to be very cold in this area of Moldavia. The temperatures may be very low and a high quantity of snow may fall, therefore, the mansion must be protected against cold and snow!
Briefly, the tiles are waiting to pass from factory to the roof of Mansion before the winter season! 100 euro – 100 tiles !
We need 8000 tiles! If 100 of you offer 80 tiles, the roof is done!
The budget (green) for the tile project that we have to finance. The rest is financed by Romania, Pro Patrimonio France, other cultural bodies and private donors.
It will be possible to use them for the consolidation (red) of the floor of the space created under the roof and the restoration (blue) of the surrounding wall of the park along the building of the forge.
Email: paris(at)propatrimonio.org
Facebook : Tibanesti et Pro Patrimonio
Site : www.propatrimonio.org/eng
About the july summer camp, preparing a part of our projet
Thank you to all the volunteers, known, unknown, from all the countries where they came from, from all the villages where we came to work, from everywhere. Without them, we could not have done what we did. And especially thanks to the team of Pro Patrimonio and the Maria Association, the platform Dartagnans and their collaborators. Their work and their enthusiasm, their obstinacy and their professionalism make live our projects.
