The Rascard of Ayas

The climatic conditions of the high mountains make it impossible to thresh grain in the open air, as is customary in the plains. The precious days of the short summer were not to be wasted on this task, which could be carried out indoors, and the summer storms — frequent in the mountains — could often have damaged the valuable harvest.

The rascard are built from logs, assembled at the corners using half-lap joints, and raised on small pillars that prevent rodents from gaining access and ensure excellent ventilation. They always rest on a masonry base of one or two levels, which often contains the stable and, in some cases, living quarters. Built on hillsides and partially set into the slope, the buildings take advantage of the gradient for access to the various floors; in the villages, the pattern of plots is defined by the succession of these wooden structures along the contour lines.

This model, closely tied to the agropastoral economy, was maintained in Ayas for at least five centuries, albeit with some variations in construction and layout.

The plan is rectangular in shape; access is from the uphill side, by means of a short removable staircase or, if fixed, one set apart from the building to prevent rodents from passing. It leads to the large double-leaf door. A corridor, the èra, in which threshing operations took place, runs centrally through the building along its shorter axis. From it, the sheaf stores — the tchambèrai — are accessed through openings with a raised threshold to prevent grain from scattering during the threshing operations.

On the downhill side, one or two appendages built as overhangs beyond the masonry below house two small granaries, the tchambrette; in these, the family’s food reserves and most precious belongings were kept. These extensions have a lighter structure, with a framework of beams and infill panels of thin boards; tiny slits allow ventilation of the spaces, while heavy wrought-iron locks on the doors give the rooms the appearance of great strongboxes.

Inside the rascard, the environment is dry and well-ventilated, ideal for the ripening of cereals: air circulates beneath the building through the gaps between the logs. Bundles of rye, barley, and wheat were harvested in mid-August and stored in the tchambèrai; drying lasted a little over a month, after which the ears were ready for threshing.

The Late Medieval Rascard

Around the mid-15th century, wood was certainly an economical and readily available material, as the clearances carried out in the late Middle Ages to make way for meadows and fields had made large quantities of timber available. The material used in construction was whatever could be sourced locally — primarily larch, and in certain locations Norway spruce (as at Magneaz, Périasc, and Caleutch) and arolla pine (Bisous).

The late medieval rascard always rests on a masonry base containing the stable, but with only a single level in stone. Documented throughout the 15th century, this ancient building technique likely remained in use for much of the following century. In the early decades of the 17th century, the habit of carving the date on the wooden structure as well makes it possible to confirm that a variant of the model had by then become established.