📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Created in 2018, the association "Château de Jarnosse" is undertaking restoration and conservation of the building with the aim of rehabilitating it into a place of culture (exhibition, concert space). A Renaissance garden will complete the complex and will be open to the public. Currently in the early stages of rehabilitation work, the association has so far carried out only emergency backup work. Formerly located on the passage of the Grand Chemin Français connecting Paris to Lyon, the town of Jarnosse had this Renaissance manor house, long abandoned and whose land carries the marks of time and was victim of robbery. Your mission will be to clear the rear part of the facade and to carry out masonry work.
💼 What the programme involves
A former Renaissance residence with 1,000 years of history, the Jarnosse castle has long been unoccupied and has collapsed over time. The rest of the house now forms an L, the lateral side of which has been partly renovated during emergency backup works while the horizontal part, located behind the almost intact facade, is now in partly collapsed. You will work on the back of this facade and finish clearing the land to prepare it for future archaeological excavations. This step will also make it possible to list the different stones and to assess their possible reuse during the restoration of the building. These works will be physical, but a considerable advance in the rehabilitation program of the castle. Masonry work, such as fixing walls or repairing windows, door frames or low walls will also be necessary and will end the work. You will be supervised by the president of the association, an architect and by a specialized mason happy to share with you their know-how and the history of this place. Local volunteers will also join you during the work. You will work 4 to 5 hours a day.
🏠 Accommodation on site
You will be accommodated in tents on the site of the castle, located 10 minutes walk from the center of the village. A living space will be created to welcome you in the wing of the castle (a kind of barn), where you will have a kitchen area and WC (work site toilets), a shower will also be installed. Despite the rudimentary facilities you will have comfort. You will cook collectively and perform the daily tasks related to group life (cleaning, wash dishes).
📍 About the location
Located in the northeast of the Loire department in an extremely rural area, the village of Jarnosse has 450 inhabitants. You can explore a 14th-century mill, a ruined medieval castle, the woods, or the Jarnossin River during a hike. The village also has five farms and you will have the opportunity to visit one of them. For sport, Jarnosse has a basketball and tennis court which you can access. The members of the castle association will take you to discover the territory and its richesn including the city of Charlieu: colorful streets, designer and artisan shops, visit to the Benedictine abbey and its cloister, Cordeliers convent, culinary specialties. Finally, meeting times will be organized with the population (welcome drink, lunch on the castle site, introduction to pétanque).
