Buildings and wood trade in Aix-en-Provence (South of France) during the Modern period

Abstract

Many buildings are being restored in the city of Aix-en-Provence, southeastern France and allowed systematic dendrochronological analyses. 144 fir timbers (Abies alba Mill.) were examined and dated between 1303 and 1933. They highlight three felling phases (Medieval period, 17th-18th century, and 19th century). The best documented one corresponds to the 17th-18th centuries and coincides with significant building activity connected to the status of Aix, which is the parliamentary capital of Provence. Around Aix-en-Provence, it is difficult to find timbers with good dimensions. Our results show that timbers were transported from the Alps to Aix’s buildings. Potential testimonies of this timber trade have been found, such as raft assemblage marks, and carved signs and letters. A dendroprovenancing case study shows that between 1810 and 1890, some of Aix’s timbers could have come from the Northern French Alps or the Verdon-Durance region. Finally, the lack of timbers with good dimension and the difficulties of timber supply contributed to the development of reuse economy and technical innovation. These results are the foundation of a future well-established dendroprovenancing approach in the Southern Alps.

Introduction

Aix-en-Provence’s history dates back to Antiquity (it was the first Roman foundation in Gaul, dating back to CE 122; Guyon et al., 1998), but the city centre architecture was inherited from its status as parliamentarian capital of Provence since 1502. This status attracted a parliamentary aristocracy, new religious orders, fiaries and many artists. Under their action, from the 16th century but especially from the 17th and 18th century, many buildings were constructed and decorated in the city (Boyer, 1972; Gloton, 1979; Bernos et al., 1983). Parliamentarians ordered the construction of private mansions in the city, residences in the countryside, and financed friaries or chapels in churches (churches of mendicant convents) (Claude and Coulet, 2014; Claude and Rossetti o roscetti (2014); Claude et al., in press; Claude, 2010). Gloton (1979) and Boyer (1972) studied these buildings and their decors. Their works are seminal, nevertheless, their art history approaches did not take into account the supply and provision of material or its implementation.

Although most of these buldings are protected historical monuments for a long time, despite these legal protections, restoration works, renovation or enhancement did not take old framework into account. Since 2007, the development of building archaeology expertise in the archaeological city department (Direction Archéologie et Muséum d’Aix-en-Provence) led to systematic dendrochronological studies. The first of them was in 2013–2014, during the significant restoration works in the former Prêcheurs church (current Madeleine church).

All these monographic studies gradually contribute to framework knowledge in Provence, a region where framework and timber studies are infrequent and relatively new. Bernardi (1995) made a first overview in his thesis on Aix’s construction industry between 1400 and 1550, using textual documents. Recently, Bouticourt (2016) completed a thesis on Mediterranean frameworks and published several papers on this subject (see Bouticourt and Guibal, 2008). Bernardi and Bouticourt were interested in timber supply regions, transport methods, timber trade and construction, in southeastern France.

Aix-en-Provence is located in Provence, between the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea and the Rhône corridor. The region is in the Sounthern rim of the temperate zone and the various topographies produce many local climatic shades due to altitude, distance to the sea, exposure, narrow sides and slope value (Climat et changement climatique en région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, 2016). The mountain climate in the northern part of the area is dry and very sunny. It enables the growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), European larch (Larix decidua L.), fir (Abies alba Mill.), stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) and oak (Quercus spp.). Further south, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) are emerging in Provence, along with, typical Mediterranean trees like Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) and olive trees (Olea europea L.) (Blanchard, 1956). Therefore, the lower Provence region does not have large forests for timber production, and Aix-en-Provence had to import this material.

Preliminary observations and analyses confirmed this fact, which allows us to make a start on wood trade during the Modern period in Aix-en-Provence and on the solutions provided to thwart the difficulties of timber supply.

This study was possible because of (i) a large amount of well-preserved timber, (ii) the presence of archaeological documentation for some sites, (iii) founding studies on archives and frameworks (Boyer, 1972; Gloton, 1979; Bernardi, 1995; Bouticourt and Guibal, 2008; Bernardi et al., 2007a) and finally, (iv) the construction of dendrochronological chronologies in the French Alps over the past two decades (Serre, 1978; Serre (1986); Tessier, 1986; Tessier et al., 1990; Belingard, 1996; Belingard and Tessier, 1997; Edouard, 2010; Saulnier, 2012; Shindo, 2016).