The roofs of Paris
Roofers, ornamentalists and the UNESCO
The Atelier Auder Ornaments supports
The Parisian roofers and ornamentalists’ candidacy at the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, for their historical know-how and its preservation.
WHAT IS THE UNESCO’S INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE?
What is meant by "cultural heritage" has changed considerably in recent decades, partly as a result of the instruments developed by the UNESCO.
Cultural heritage does not stop at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, or the knowledge and skills necessary for traditional crafts.
The Atelier Auder d’Ornaments
Transmission of knowledge to new generations of ornamentalists.
To this day, Stéphane transmits within his Atelier, the know-how of this exceptional profession. 4 ornamentalists have already been trained under his supervision and teachings, and a 5th is currently in training.
His commitment to this transmission of knowledge and the maintenance of the integrity of the know-how techniques, also lead him to write the subjects of the prestigious competitions “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in 2015 and 2018.
WHY THE ROOFS OF PARIS?
The roofs of Paris, but more particularly the zinc roofs, cover more than 70% of the buildings in the French capital and give Paris those thousand shades of gray, which to this day, inspire painters, photographers, filmmakers, advertisers, writers, etc.
These skills and trades give Paris its visual identity: no other city in the world has such a sea of zinc roofs.
To be considered for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, strict and specific criteria must be met. Among other things, you must defend a know-how linked to a place. The Parisian roofers and ornamentalists have been chosen to represent all the professions.
All the roofers and ornamentalists of France are embarked in this quest for the recognition of their historical know-how and Paris is their flagship!
Let's support them!
The Atelier Auder d’Ornaments
Know-how to compete and meet the criteria for certification.
In 2010, after 30 years of experience including 14 years as an ornamentalist, Stéphane entered the competition for "Meilleur Ouvrier de France". For this competition of excellence, Stéphane reproduced the Campanile of Villeneuve St Georges (94). After 1,150 hours of work and the reproduction of an imposing work, impressive with know-how, he receives the title of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in the class Metal Ornamentalist.
The Atelier Auder d'Ornements is also an award-winning workshop and has received the most beautiful distinctions guaranteeing the mastery of the most difficult techniques and the certainty of an exceptional work: Maitre Artisan en Métier d'Art, Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant and the label Origine France Garantie.
THE ROOFS OF PARIS’ HISTORY
In the Middle Ages: Paris was a wooden city.
At the dawn of the Renaissance: Paris was covered with flat tiles and slates.
The Paris of the Grand Siècle: He didn't like Paris, yet he was one of its greatest urban planners! Louis XIV enters the great century with the masters of classical architecture.
Baron Haussmann's Zinc: Napoleon III wants to master the capital. He dreams of an ideal city, of a unified, organized, embellished, and healthy Paris, with a population that breathes more easily. Napoleon III entrusts this gigantic task of concretizing his dream to Baron Haussmann, the Seine region’s commissioner. 17 years of work were necessary to remodel Paris from top to bottom.
The Atelier Auder d’Ornaments
Is part of the Parisian roofs’ history.
Stéphane's training as a roofer led him to work on the national roofs of Nantes, Bordeaux, Reims, Troyes, Dijon and seven years in Paris. Parisian roofs that he knows very well, since as a roofer, Stéphane had the opportunity to work on, among others, various sites in the streets of Paris, on the European House of Photography and the Louvre Museum. (Inverted pyramid).
Today, as an ornamentalist in Maine et Loire, Stéphane and his team still work on Parisian roofs: - Ornaments for the Peninsula Hotel: series of 48 zinc dormers, cornices and corner keys
- Dormer windows, bull's eye, finial and various roof ornaments for the Rue Malesherbe, Rue Clément Marot, Rue de la Tremoille, Rue des Colonels Renard, among others.
- The National Assembly
- Campanile de Villeneuve St Georges - Paris region
- And recently: ornaments for the domes of the Police headquarters - Ilot Massillon
The National Institute of France was born under Louis XIV
THE UNESCO CANDIDACY
Official dates of the application
After being registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Assets (June 27, 2017), the application file "The skills of Parisian roofers and ornamentalists" was validated and registered, on October 20, 2020, by the Committee of Ethnological and Intangible Heritage of the Ministry of Culture (CPEI).
This validation allows, once again, to be among the candidates who could represent France in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, in 2021-2022. The final choice of the candidate (3 candidates presented this year) will depend on the arbitration of the Minister of Culture. An answer at the end of March is expected. The official inscription on the representative list will take place at the end of 2022.
The Atelier Auder d’Ornaments
Supports this application
Stéphane, was roofer first before becoming an ornamentalist, and worked during his Tour de France of the Compagnons du Devoir on these Parisian, national and international roofs. He knows like any roofer, how to respect this heritage and this French savoir-faire.
For 25 years as an ornamentalist, Stéphane has always respected this heritage by giving the best of his know-how, experience and in-depth knowledge.
But the story doesn't end there, L'Atelier Auder d'Ornements is wrapped, inhabited and guided by the roofing trade: Stéphane, also the son of a roofer, and his wife Florence is the daughter and sister of roofers. Both support this application with a strong understanding, commitment and involvement.
Do you want to show your support for the candidacy of the Parisian roofers and associated ornamentalists for the title of " UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage" of France? If, yes, you can write to the President of the Republic, I support "Les Couvreurs à l'UNESCO", by clicking here.
Do not hesitate to share this information!
Source article : Book "les toits de Paris ou l'Art des Couvreurs" - Gilles Mermet and press kit : Les Couvreurs à L'UNESCO