Bernay saved from fires.... in the Middle Ages

Bernay saved from fires.... in the Middle Ages.

Bernay of the Middle Ages, today....

Visiting Bernay is, at the same time, visiting one of the most representative small towns in Normandy as we imagine it to be, but also finding oneself, today, in the Bernay of the Middle Ages.

Indeed, the city still has about 300 half-timbered houses, made of wood, of course, but also of stone, cob and slate, with a very wide variety of construction methods.

In those days, houses were decorated with architectural ornaments, which today allows us to find ourselves face-to-face with grimaceous monsters, fantastic animals, but also characters who present us with the elements of their profession, or their social condition.

In case some humidity comes up from the ground (we are in Normandy, though, and although it never rains there...), these houses are often placed on a ground floor of stone, in order to insulate them.

Speaking of insulation, moreover, and more precisely thermal insulation, we might have some lessons to learn today from the use of cob, whose thickness of only 10 cm is worth more than 20 cm of brick, or 50 cm of stone!

But why did Bernay save Bernay from the fires?

These medieval streets, which suit us to walk around with our noses in the air, why are they still there intact?

Well, it was thanks to an order of the provincial parliament of the time, issued on June 14, 1719, and recalled by the king's prosecutor on December 30, 1792 (it was a Wednesday, I remember it very well!).

And what is the subject of this decree that allowed the city to remain standing?

The festival of kings!

For this feast was for the youth a great occasion for lips and festivities, a great opportunity to run in groups through the streets carrying cliffs, a kind of bundle of small woods and flaming straw!

Playing like that with matches on the streets of a wooden city is not great, especially when the joyful demonstrations get a little out of hand. These famous cliffs are therefore prohibited.

It should be noted that, today, if we talk about the responsibility of families for more or less criminal acts committed by their children, we immediately trigger a very heated controversy, of which we were not embarrassed at the time, since it is specified that "fathers and mothers, teachers and mistresses, of the said children, schoolchildren and domestic partners will be responsible".

The police lieutenant, considering that "the young people of this city continue to wear lit cliffs in the streets every year", renews the previous provisions with prison sentences and a 30 pound fine.

And he adds: "as the candlesticks of this city are in the wrong use to give the children of this city some kind of small candles which are only a wick dipped in tallow to carry lit along the porches and in the streets of this city, and as great accidents could happen by these kinds of lights and other things carried by children who have no knowledge of the accidents that can happen, we have forbidden all candlestickers in this city and others to make and manufacture any of these kinds of candles, with a fine of 20 pounds forfeiting the tallow that will be in their homes.

Ban on distributing them, ban on wearing them, we're safe!

(Thanks to the journal "la France pittoresque" for the quotations, in particular)

Office de Tourisme de Bernay
29, Rue Thiers
27308 Bernay
Tél. : 02 32 43 32 08

ot-ccbe@bernaytourisme.fr

http://www.bernaytourisme.fr/