Pascal Royère

Initially a mason and building engineer in Southwest France like his father, Pascal Royère (6 July 1965 — 5 Feb. 2014, Villeneuve-lès-Boulloc) graduated the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture in Nantes in 1994 with a restoration project dedicated to the Southern Kleang at Angkor Thom.

In 1993, he joined the EFEO Siem Reap branch to undertake several renovated projects as an archaeologist and architect. After perfecting his knowledge of Angkor history under the guidance of Bruno Daguens, Jacques Dumarçay and Christophe Pottier, he was appointed Director of the Baphuon Renovation Project in 1995, one of the major programs ran by Apsara Authority and EFEO. 

Initially launched by Jean Commaille in 1908, developed by Bernard-Philippe Groslier in the 1950s and 1960s, suspended during the Cambodian civil war, the Baphuon site protection and renovation program was particularly complex, with more than 300,000 sandstone blocks, many weighing a half-ton, to be reassembled. Involving up to 250 workers and volunteers, the site was officially inaugurated by H.M. King Norodom Sihamoni on July 3, 2011.

After completing the Baphuon campaign, Pascal Royère, whom his Cambodian colleague had nicknamed ​‘Pascal Thom’ (Big Pascal), was appointed EFEO Director of Projects in France, and started to work on a restoration program for the West Mebon when he passed away at 48 years of age only.

With the Baphuon site workers in 2010 (Photo Christophe Loviny)

Tribute to Pascal Royère at Wat Svay Romiet, Siem Reap.