Organizers / Managers
Presentation
The Association de Sauvegarde de l'Abbaye de Valsery, founded in 1996 by Pierre and Françoise Pottier, was reactivated on April 7, 2013 by David Balet, a stonemason with a passion for monastic architecture and stoneworking.
The safeguarding project involves restoring the remaining buildings of the former Valsery abbey to create a museum space dedicated to the crafting of stone (from quarry to monument), with exhibitions, tours and introductory courses in the various stone trades.
As part of the restoration of the abbey, volunteers and trainees will learn about the local geology and the different methods of stone extraction through the ages, as well as the techniques of stone-cutting for the abbey, sculpture and stone-laying.
Exhibitions and educational activities will be set up and offered to as many people as possible to promote and share the stone trades.
Educational activities will be offered to children in the surrounding communities, including visits to local monuments, stone-cutting and sculpture discovery days, and exhibitions on stone working.
These activities will also be offered to adults, along with visits to local stone quarries and buildings built with stone from these quarries.
