Construction of furnace 2e moitié du XIXe siècle (≈ 1865)
Period of initial furnace construction.
vers 1880
Industrial axle
Industrial axle vers 1880 (≈ 1880)
Development under Jean Marie Cazaux Moutou.
1960
Factory closure
Factory closure 1960 (≈ 1960)
Production definitely discontinued.
5 octobre 1990
Monument protection
Monument protection 5 octobre 1990 (≈ 1990)
Partial registration for Historical Monuments.
début XXe siècle
Plant peak
Plant peak début XXe siècle (≈ 2004)
Maximum period of activity under Cazaux.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Old lime oven; façades and roofs of the old adjoining buildings located on the edge of the road (house of the keeper, workshop, carthouse, oven room), as well as the remaining walls of the mule stable; facades and roofs of the old mansion (cad. CT 5, 17): entry by order of 5 October 1990
Key figures
Jean Marie Cazaux Moutou - Industrial and Mayor of Lourdes
Developed the factory and added gargoyles.
Victor Lacrampe - Owner
Associated with construction of the site.
Origin and history
The Lourdes lime kiln, built in squared honeycomb stone, has a slightly truncated shape. It is reinforced by a low buttress and a high part concrete reinforcement, while its platform is surmounted by a corrugated sheet lantern. This industrial monument bears witness to the construction techniques of its time, combining robustness and functionality.
Around 1880, the factory grew under the impetus of Jean Marie Cazaux Moutou, a former major student of the École des Arts et Métiers d'Angers and trained at Schneider du Creusot establishments. Mayor of Lourdes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he added two sheep heads carved of stone on the platform of the oven, with reference to his surname. These decorative elements also recall the link between industry and local identity.
The lime factory, active until the 1960s, formed a homogeneous set including the oven, workshops, stables, a guard house and a master house. These buildings, located at the foot of the extraction quarry, illustrate the spatial and functional organization of a limestone factory of the time. The whole is partially protected since 1990, stressing its heritage importance.
The contractor identified for this site is Victor Lacrampe, although its exact role in design or construction is not detailed in available sources. The lime oven, now closed, remains an architectural and historical testimony to the past industrial activities of Lourdes and its region.
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