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Origin and history

Le Moulin de la Chaussée is a former water mill located in Saint-Maurice, Île-de-France, first mentioned in 1394. Reconstructed in 1650 on stone pillars, it was enlarged in 1779 with two additional floors and an attic. Its name comes from an emptied road that once connected the path of Saint-Mandé to the parish church. He was also called Moulin de la Charité after his acquisition in 1768 by the Brothers of Charity, then Moulin François in reference to the miller family that operated it until 1972.

The mill underwent several technical transformations, notably in 1898, when its hanging blade wheel was replaced by a fixed wheel coupled with a steam machine. A fire in 1904 led to a reconstruction with two additional floors. Expropriated in 1972 for the construction of a motorway ramp, it was saved thanks to the action of local associations and the French Federation of Friends of Mills, which bought it back in 1982. Partly enrolled in the Historic Monuments in the same year, it was restored between 1992 and 1995 before hosting, from 2000, a university training centre.

Located on the arm of Gravelle, a regulated tributary of the Marne, the mill is a witness to the 19th century hydraulic developments marked by the construction of the Saint-Maurice Canal (combated in the 1950s). Its architecture combines limestone bellows and wood panels, with a half-timbered structure added during the 20th century restorations. The blade wheel, although preserved, no longer works. Today, the mill also houses the headquarters of the Fédération française des associations de sauveau des milles.

The site is marked by successive infrastructure: a four arched bridge built in 1720 (only one remains), a second bridge built in 1787 with milling housing (destroyed around 1900), and modifications related to modern urbanization, such as the East Motorway built in 1973. These elements illustrate the evolution of the river and industrial landscape of Saint-Maurice, between medieval heritage and contemporary adaptations.

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