Details of the file of restoration of the Vault

 Reception  Return

The present declaration of work, ordered by the family Sirot Salt maker, owner since 1998 of the old Saint-Victor priory of Bray-on-Aunette in Oise concerns the restoration of masonries of the vault prieurale.

This Gothic building built around 1263, is remarkable for its homogeneous architecture combining a nobility borrowed from the royal and palatine vaults by which it is inspired, with a modesty imposed by the rural context in which it fits. The vault presents a plan at single vessel finished by a polygonal bedside. The fourth and last span of the nave are extended and been next to to north by a small rectangular vault.

Recognized qualities of the building and its alarming medical state were worth to him an inscription with the additional inventory of the Historic buildings in April 1926 then a classification in December 1943. TheSaint-Victor priory which knew to preserve coherence and character in spite of the rehandlings, in addition includes/understands other classified parts: cellars located at the north of the vault and pigeon.

As of the decree of classification, the service of the Historic buildings is concerned with state structural alarming of the vault covered by a failing flattened roof and presenting a significant cant of its wall southern gouttereau having involved a cracking of the vaults.

Ties are posed in urgency in the nave in 1963 by J.P. Paquet ACMH. In 1990, Yves Boiret, ACMH undertake a preliminary study for the consolidation of the structures and the repair of the roof of the building. This delicate study which has being returned before its conclusion is supplemented in 1992. The programme of operation according to is then approved: 1. consolidation of the structures, 2. repair of the roof. The order of the priorities modified east however since in 1995, Pierre Delacharlery, owner at the time, engages with V Brunelle ACMH the repair with nine of the frame and the cover by restoring the volumetry of origin of the roof.

This realization made it possible to ensure the setting out of water of the building and to solve the problems involved in the rain drainage by the creation of a buried network. It is advisable today to continue this work by the consolidation of the structures of the building, operation at the same time delicate and essential which as specified it Mr. Boiret at the end of its work was to be the subject of a specific study making it possible to specify the provisions to be taken and to evaluate the costs with just. Accordingly, a technical study was carried out in July 2004 by a specialized engineering and design department.

The current context of the operation offers the occasion to consider not only the consolidation of the structures but also the restoration overall and the development which this building deserves. This total intervention could not installation at regret in 1990 per Yves Boiret. This last, consulted on several occasions, supports the step of the owners who have as a concern of placing the restoration of the vault, his re-use and his opening to the public in the heart of a project which relates to the whole of the site prieural and which has the role to open on outside (bond with the village of Rully-Bray within the framework of the new regional park). This revival is initiated by an association "the Friends of the Priory of Bray-on-Aunette" created May 29 2004 which gathers already a great number of members.

After the repair of the covers and frames ten years ago, the current operation has as an aim the restoration of external and interior masonries. It includes/understands the consolidation of the structures and proposes a synthesis of the preliminary research carried out on the building. The second phase of the project which will relate to installation and the development for the re-use will be specified and subjected later on. This cutting was decided in order to be able to begin as soon as possible the emergency measures and the heavy work on masonries all while giving itself the time of the reflexion for the future operations. This concerns before all interior installations, the soil stabilization and the creation of stained glasses which will come to replace the provisional closings envisaged at the stage of this declaration of work.

Chronology of the last interventions

FOOT-note: In spite of the work of restoration completed since its classification with the title of the historic buildings, the vault today is deeply marked by old installations (modification of the barges of bays in the south) and the transformations of the XIXème century (obturation of bays, boring of the door charretière...). In spite of the doubts which remain concerning the dating of these interventions, it seemed essential to make state in the present chronology of it.

approx. 1260 Construction of the vault of the priory.

approx. 1650 buildings of the priory are the subject of significant repair work and embellissement. This work which probably follows upon the devastations caused by the troops of Turenne also relates to the vault whose burnt roof will be rebuilt by respecting original volumetry (see postcard of the neighbourhoods of 1900). Other work like the repair of the coatings and paintings in horn-the eye which could be degraded by the fire could go back to the same time. As for the barges of the southernmost bays which were re-installed at one dubious time, various assumptions are possible to explain their modification (destruction of the lower registers of the stained glasses following wars, search for symmetry with the northern gouttereau, work on lighting, installations interior, addition of one lean-to building outside).

Env.1800 It is probably following the sale of the National priory as Bien that constructions contiguous to the vault will be destroyed (building prolonging the northern vault, cloister). The dispersion of furniture, of the decorative element and floor coverings (fragments of stained glasses, possible sculptures of the tympanum) undoubtedly goes back to the same time. The hiring of the priory to farmers involves new vicissitudes for the vault of which a part will be provided with a ground in squares with terra cotta and whose southern gouttereau will be bored in order to allow the installation of a door charretière. The bays will be sealed and an intermediate floor seems to be arranged.

approx. 1900 the decayed roof of the XVIIème century is replaced by a more economic roof whose slope is definitely lower.

1943 Classification with the title of the historic buildings of the vault, pigeon and the cellar located at the north of the old monastic enclosure.

1948 In his report/ratio of July 23, 1948, the general inspector of the historic buildings Herpe expresses a doubt on the estimate presented by J-p. Paquet ACMH which envisaged the installation of a concrete chaining in order to cure the "disorganization of the vaults".

1963 the installation of ties per J-p. Paquet with the birth of the vaults marks the provisional end of the interrogations on the defects of stability of the vault. The irregular position of the ties which are always in place seems however to indicate that it was envisaged to continue research of a final solution.

1986 Repair of the cover of the northern vault on the initiative of Pierre Delacharlery, owner at the time. Y. Boiret ACMH will accompany this work in final phase in order to ensure their completion in the code of practice.

1990 Y. Boiret ACMH carries out a study preliminary to the restoration of the vault. The party of restoration proposed in conclusion is divided into three chapters: - restoration of the point of the western pinion - preliminary works with the restoration of the vaults, frames and roof of the first two western spans (including restitution of the original geometry of the roof) - completion of the repair of the roof and consolidation of the vaults of the first two western spans per installation of grips. Regretting not having been able more thoroughly to examine the problems involved in the stability of the building, Y. Boiret stresses that the installation of grips above the first two western spans will have to be subjected to complementary examinations during work of cover. Uncertainty is all the more large as the engineering and design department Bancon puts forth the assumption, in a short report/ratio, of an insufficiency of the foundations and grounds.

1990 - 1992 B Collette, general inspector of the historic buildings, and C Piel, inspector of the historic buildings, share the interrogations of Y. Boiret and ask for the realization of complementary investigations. Entrusted to the company Ground Progress, those will make it possible to determine the geometry of the foundations on the one hand and to know the characteristics of the ground on the other hand. The analysis of the results obtained leads to an adaptation of the party of restoration which is presented by Y. Boiret in a complement of study: - consolidation of the structures by underpinning (using longitudinal beams and shaft concrete), regeneration of masonries and cleansing of the accesses - repair of the roof (including restitution of the original geometry of the roof). In the conclusion of this complement which is approved by the inspection, Y. Boiret states however that precise details will have still to be brought to the project of consolidation. During the completion of the complementary study, the owner of the time undertakes itself the installation of ties in the oculus of the western pinion in order to hang this last with the frame. The casements out of wooden of the western gate are remade at the same time.

1995 - 1996 It is perhaps because of the refusal of the owner of the time considering the underpinning too expensive that the priority is finally given to the covers. Those will be restored by V Brunelle ACMH which retains the choice of Y. Boiret to restore the original geometry of the roof. Within the framework of this countryside, masonries of the western pinion, levelling courses and heads of buttress will be regenerated and a drainage rain by hanging gutters and descents is created. The ties posed in the oculus a few years before will be replaced by five new ties binding the western pinion to the breakdowns.

August 2005 the project of restoration of the vault is accepted by the architect of the Historic buildings. Work of recovery in underpinning, after research of the companies good-saying them but especially accepting our desire of division of the savoirs, should start in spring 2006. They will last approximately 4 years, and will be contemporary installation of the barns.

High  Reception  Return