At this very moment, the second half of our 12th-century roof is being prepared at Atelier Ferignac, where master carpenters have been working for several months to restore, clean, strip off old bits, and treat the roof’s full-length timber beams that are 800 (!) years old.
.
Soon, they’ll be shipped back and carefully reinstalled in their original order and position, recreating the hull-shaped structure that has carried the weight of our château’s ancient Lauze stone roofing for centuries.
.
Our appreciation goes out to ABF (Architecte des Bâtiment de France), DRAC (Direction régionale des affaires culturelles), Fondation du Patrimoine, French Ministry of Culture, and the Office of the Mayor of Sergeac.
.
Château Cramirat was the chief Templar commandery and home of the order’s grandmaster in Périgord 800 years ago. Now we’re renovating this rare landmark to hold strong for another 800 years into the future, restoring each stone, every arch, and any curve of the architecture, from ground level up to our old-new rooftop.
.
Facing forward, the best is yet to come.