📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Welcome to the land of pink stone! Born of the fusion of two villages, Saint-Jean Saint-Maurice sur Loire is organized around two centers of life: the medieval village of Saint-Maurice, nestled on a hill overlooking the Loire and the village of Saint-Jean occupying a less steep territory. Attached to the richness of their heritage and welcoming a large number of tourists during the summer period, the town wanted to host a group of young internationals volunteers with the mission of redeveloping the footpath to former « Four Banal » (communal oven to bake bread).
💼 What the programme involves
In medieval times, ovens were installed in the village and made available to the inhabitants by the lords, today only the name of this path remains to testify. Located at the bottom of the town, the path to this public berad oven provides access to the old covered walkway. A narrow corridor built at the top or along the fortifications, the walkways allowed the sentries to guard the city. Located on the circumference of the old medieval village of Saint-Maurice sur Loire, the old covered way still can be seen and runs along the Ris Serpentin (stream) and Loire (river). Designed for pedestrians, this former foot path has steps made of logs and earth. Today collapsed, your mission will be to rehabilitate these steps. In a second step, you will clean the walls along the path currently covered with invasive vegetation. You will be supervised by volunteers and the technical service of the town. They will be happy to share with you their expertise and the history of this particular place. You will be accommodated in the center of Saint-Jean, located a 10-minute walk from the site, where you will reach on foot. You will work 4 to 5 hours a day.
🏠 Accommodation on site
You will be accommodated in the multipurpose room of Saint-Jean. This building hosts a village hall and a gymnasium. Also, you will have the kitchen and sleep on the mezzanine of the village hall. You will benefit from the toilets and showers in the gymnasium changing rooms. Occasionally, you may have to sleep in a tent near the building. You will cook collectively and take part in daily tasks (wash dishes, cleaning). On Sunday morning, you can go to the market to discover local products.
📍 About the location
Located to the north-west of the Loire department and part of the Massif Central, the village of Saint Jean Saint-Maurice sur Loire has 1,200 inhabitants and offers an exceptional living environment. The merging of two old villages offers the current town an important richness of heritage: the cure, the sundial tower, the fleur-de-lis house, the Ris Serpentin gate, the Fortress of Saint-Maurice, the church of Saint Maurice, the church of Saint Jean, the Maison du Tonnelier or the Manoir de la Mure-Chantois. You will get to know these many monuments as a local association will provide a guided tour. You can also stroll through the narrow streets of Saint-Maurice and meet many art craftsmen (jewelry, sculpture). A map of the many hiking trails will also be available to you. You can freely visit an art exhibition called "Arts Bis", which brings together contemporary works of paintings, collages, drawings and other artistic creations. Finally, local associations will come to meet you during activities such as an initiation to pétanque.
