Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House known as the School of Architecture of Volvic finds its origins in the medieval buildings of a clunisian priory of the 11th century, Saint-Priest de Volvic, later became a community of priests under the Old Regime. Dissolved in 1790, this community left behind unoccupied premises, some of which were reused in 1820 to set up a communal school and a school of architecture, at the initiative of Count Gilbert Joseph Gaspard Chabrol-Volvic. The latter, owner of trachy-andesite quarries, seeks to train skilled workers to exploit the Volvic stone, while fighting against growing illiteracy in the region after the Revolution.

The school, initially led by Jean-Baptiste Roger, focuses on the teaching of drawing and the stone trades (scarers, sculptors, lava enamellers). Despite chaotic beginnings – lack of premises, conflicts with the municipality, and random management by religious or incompetent teachers – it gradually established itself as a unique training centre in France. In 1880, the secularization of teaching and the arrival of Joseph Berthelay marked a turning point: the school professionalized, participated in national exhibitions (gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1900), and obtained official recognition.

In the 20th century, the school, renamed EDAV (École Départementale d'Architecture de Volvic), diversified its formations and survived despite economic crises and wars. In 1972, it became an associative centre, the CDATMP (Centre Départemental des Arts et Traditions des Métiers de la Pierre), before taking the name of IMAPEC in 2009 under the aegis of the Traces de pierre association. Its building, classified as a Historical Monument in 1908 for its Romanesque archature, bears witness to its medieval heritage and its key role in preserving local know-how.

The Romanesque arch of the pinion, protected element, consists of three lintels in half circles surmounted by a moulding, separated by columns with capitals. This architectural detail, typical of the 11th century, contrasts with the later industrial and educational vocation of the site. The school has trained generations of artisans, contributing to the fame of the Volvic stone, while embodying tensions between local power, state and private initiatives in the history of technical education in France.

The First World War inspired students to project monuments to the dead, helping local industrialists to stand out in a saturated market. In the mid-war period, the EDAV won a gold medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, consolidating its reputation. However, the crisis of the 1930s and the mechanisation of the stone trades are reducing its workforce, forcing it to focus on the transmission of traditional know-how, a role which it still perpetuates today.

External links