Truss Braces
Description
In the construction of houses in Cordon, a strut is a slanted wooden structural element that connects a post to a roof purlin. Of the 104 permanent houses surveyed in the year 2000, 754 carved struts were recorded.
Under the ridge beam, on the side facing the most foot traffic, the owner would carve, at the very least, his name and the date his house was built.
These struts, called “éparon” in Arpitan and “boshè” when engraved, are adorned with religious motifs (chalices, the tree of life, the Templar cross, etc.), Savoyard “lacs,” and religious and popular maxims:
“God be blessed”
“Long live Jesus and Mary”
“In every season, may God bless this house”
“Life is short and death is certain”
The study of these inscriptions has been the subject of an interesting exploration of the village in two publications by the Cordon Association—"Patrimoine d'Hier pour Demain": “The Houses of Cordon” and “What the Boshè Tell Us,” available at the Cordon tourist office.
