Lazaina Things to Do

This is the home of an officer of the ancient Royal army. The Royal era ended late 19th whilst Officer Rabeony's house was reportedly built 19th century. As part of the conservation effort that Lazaina is deploying to keep its historical & cultural sites, the house will be restaured for its architecture, style and prestige. So far, no conservation effort was made to keep it.

Although this is not the very traditional mud-walled trano gasy, this is what we, in Tana area, use to call a "traditional house", i.e as compared to the purely European styles (Scandinavian villas in Antsirabe European area, French villas all over the province). But looking closer at it, one would notice a style that is partly inspired (I heard) from the 18th-century style. French ? Scandinavian ? Colonial ? I think it is rather the colonial style that left some features on this setting.

About this Merina style, it is often made of a narrow building with a basement, a first storey and the attic. Houses in the countryside used to have their basements designed to grain storages (rice harvests, corn...) and as places to keep tools used in countryside everyday life: pads, buckets... Then, upstairs are storeys for the family. Sometimes, the kitchen is in the basement too as they can be in the attic.

Brickwalls are used here, not painted. But then, when painted, you'll see very often white or carmin walls. See the middle part of the house on the pic ? It seemed to be carmin in the past. I don't know why but it has been always like that.

This house, though in quite bad (& decreasing) shape, features some nice details: the design of the chimney, the festooned wood of the roof. I also like the veranda. A tad sophisicated compared to the average building in the area (like the one that my grand-grand-dad had built). In Merina houses, a veranda could be a wooden one (some wood lumbers off the facade on which is build a veranda). That is very common. This one is all with bricks though, more solid but with some stylish design.