Presentation

The association La Maison Broche was created in 2013 with the aim of safeguarding an exceptional rural habitat in great peril in a small village in the Deux Sèvres region.

We are undertaking the complete restoration of a 17th-century manor house, transformed into a farm in the 19th century and then abandoned during the 20th century.It was made available to the association by its owners under an emphyteutic lease.

It comprises a 450m2 main building, now out of danger but still undergoing work, a 60m2 workshop, also saved, another 150m2 workshop in serious danger, and a 250m2 barn in the same peril, all on 4500m2 of land now largely cleared and put to permaculture use.

Our human and political objective is, in addition to safeguarding the building itself, to create a place to live and a hub of activity in this small village to combat the desertification of our countryside. We are involved in a wide range of knowledge-sharing activities, including participative workcamps (introduction to manual techniques and know-how, ecological renovation, etc.), practical courses (making natural household products, mastering popular education tools) and artistic workshops (dance, theater, puppetry, photography, etc.).

All these activities are run on a voluntary basis by members of the association, and are open to all, especially the local population. We welcome artists in residence, offering them a rehearsal room, a set-building workshop, accommodation, locavore food and, if they wish, artistic or technical support.