Stone hut called "Borie" (clay)

The borie is a hut built of dry stone, meaning without any mortar: flat stones are skillfully stacked, each course overhanging the last, until they close into a vault. Many can be found in Haute-Provence and the Luberon, where shepherds and farmers used them for shelter, to store tools, or to protect their harvests.

Our borie is made of clay, scaled for our 4 cm santons. It gives the Nativity scene a very authentic rural touch: set it on the hillside near the flock and the shepherds, or at the edge of a field. In a medium-sized Nativity scene, it can also serve as a shelter for a lone figure.

It is made in our Aix-en-Provence workshop like our santons: molded in very fine local clay, retouched by hand, slowly dried, fired at 960 °C, then given matte paint with a brush to evoke stone.

Our family has carried on the santon-making tradition in Aix since 1934. You can see our scenery pieces in the shop at 65 cours Gambetta and at our exhibitions. When ordered online, the borie is wrapped in paper, then bubble wrap, and ships within 2 to 3 business days.