abandonned - at present

Roofless - a common condition, particularly in the Cevennes. The "Code Napoléon" ensured that no heirs could be dispossessed or treated unfairly, but all heirs must be found before ownership can be settled! With high out-migration in search of paid work or fortune, families lost touch with members, but tax has to be paid on the building as long as it is habitable. Solution? Break the central roof beam. With no roof, no tax to be paid!