The Conques Summer School of Vernacular Architecture
29th of August to 6th of September 2025
Application deadline⎟7th of April 2025
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The Conques Summer School is a unique place of transmission and learning, a haven for the preservation of knowledge and a centre of excellence in architecture, nourished by the crafts and knowledge of history. The participants will discover the rigour of drawing by hand using the rules of composition. They will exercise their eyes and their judgement on ancient architectural forms and discover their constructive qualities. Using the village of Conques as a resource, they will get to observe, measure and draw its streets, buildings and constructional elements which over the centuries have made it an inspiring example of a beautiful, humane and durable place to live.
Why Conques ?
The vernacular architecture of Conques has emerged over centuries from the creativity of man in his natural environment: hills of sandstone and schist, oak, chestnut and walnut trees, red clay...
The village wakes in a bed of mist and lays to rest in a slowly setting sun. Great imagination invented here the most vivid forms of art, such as the tympanum of the Romanesque abbey church of Sainte-Foix. This venerable 12th-century church with its two stone bell towers is an important stage on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Every day, dozens of pilgrims stop at Conques for a night or two. Both single walkers and groups of friends come from every continent to strengthen their souls through contact with nature and to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world for a few days. In the evening, tired from a long walk, they linger on a restaurant terrace to contemplate the dying rays of the sun as they sink into the forest across the valley. Conques is plunged into darkness. And the shadows that dance across the stone facades as night-time strollers go by conjure up long-lost legends.
The village resonates with stories of days gone by, when the monk Aronidse stole the relics of Sainte-Foy d'Agen to give them to his abbey in Conques, or when the armies of the King of France devastated Occitania in search of the Albigensian heretics... These resounding tales of crusades, pious petty theft, knight-poets, cavalcades and Romanesque devotion have shaped the history and identity of the village of Conques. Its architecture, both modest and endearing, bears the hallmark of peril, courage and piety in the Middle Ages.
" My experience in the summer architecture course was an enriching adventure that allowed me to explore my passion for building design and construction. I am excited about what the future holds for me in the field of architecture and am grateful for this transformative experience."
Paula Mariscal Romero, BSSAC 2023
Study the architecture of Conques
Course Programme
Conques Summer School of Architecture & Crafts
Lectures & round tables
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History of Languedoc and the village of Conques
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Vernacular villages in the Aveyron & the Cévennes regions: form,
architecture & construction -
Introduction to Romanesque architecture
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Art and Aesthetics from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
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Dry stone construction, stone masonry & stone carving
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Traditional carpentry
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Traditional joinery
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Tips and advices for the future​​​​
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Drawing sessions
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Introduction to geometry: principal forms & arches
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Urban fabric: Blocks, buildings & streets
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Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy
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Arcades & columns
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Dry stone construction (walls, roofs & pavements)
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Stone carving (doors & windows frames, stairs & ornaments)
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​Carpentry: walls, floors & roofs trusses
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Joinery: doors, windows & staircases
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​​Hiking​​
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Drawing in the nature: what is taken from the forest to build?
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Craft workshops
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​Naturalistic ornamentations & ceramic workshop
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Natural paintings
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Illumination workshop​​​
The teachers
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION
DATES⎟Friday 29th of August to Saturday 6th of September , 2025
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APPLICATION DEADLINE⎟7th of April, 2025
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COURSE LOCATION⎟Conques, France
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COURSE LANGUAGE ⎟English
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COURSE TIMETABLE⎟9.30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Sunday⎟Hiking in the Lot Valley​
FEES⎟1 350 EUR
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The fees includes:​
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The lectures, studio sessions, crafts workshops & heritage site visits,
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The drawing and crafts materials,
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A daily afternoon snack & drink,​
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A shared room & shared bathroom in a mansion house in the village of Conques (8 nights),​
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The breakfasts served daily at 8.30 am
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The evening meals served daily at 7 pm,
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The 29/08 & 6/09 lunches, two lunches in restaurants in Conques & a picnic in the hills.
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ACCOMMODATION​ LOCATION⎟La Maison de Conques​​
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The accommodation includes:
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The bed linen
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A shower towel
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Shared fully-equipped shower rooms
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A fitted kitchen
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A dining room
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A living room
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A large terrace
TRANSPORT TO CONQUES⎟train & bus
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COME TO CONQUES BY THE COMPOSTELLE ROUTES⎟information
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Minimum age to apply to the course⎟16 years old
Applicants under the age of 18 must send along with their application a letter from their legal guardian authorising them to take part in the summer school.​
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If needed, you can apply for a partial scholarship. If so, you should explain the reasons in a separate letter when you apply and add supporting documents (e.g. proof of a university scholarship for the year 2025).
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HOW TO APPLY
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IMPORTANT: Only complete applications will be considered.
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Please submit ALL the information requested below before March 15, 2025 by email at:
contact@latablerondearchitecture.com
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with the following e-mail title: Application BSSAC 2025 - full name
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Personal information: full name, full postal address, phone number & date of birth.
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Title - e.g. carpenter, student of architecture, student of the history of architecture, architect, urbanist, historian, high school student, lawyer, doctor, etc - and associated information (e.g. name of school, company, etc).
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Cover letter in English or French (max two pages in pdf)
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Three hand drawings in ONE pdf (e.g. measured drawing of a door, window or façade)
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Recommended: You can also add to this application any piece of writing that you feel is relevant (opinion piece, essay on architecture, etc), craft work(s) (jpeg images with captions), your Curriculum Vitae and recommendation letter(s).
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