Former blast furnace à Saint-Vincent-de-Mercuze dans l'Isère

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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint Vincent de Mercuze blast furnace, also known as the Marcieu blast furnace, is an industrial building built in the early eighteenth century by Marcieu's family. It replaces a previous blast furnace at Touvet in 1649. The first casting of guerre took place in 1727, using iron ore extracted in the Allevard area and wood from local forests. This site became the second producer of Dauphiné cast iron at the end of the Ancien Régime.

In 1794, the foundry was placed under receivership, but Marcieu's Marquis obtained authorization in 1807 to revive the blast furnace. After studies carried out between 1806 and 1812, notably by engineer Émile Geymard, the site was reorganized in 1839 and rebuilt between 1845 and 1856. Its operation is based on a system of two tubes to propel the air, typical of the Dauphinian blast furnaces. The business ceased permanently in 1865, and mining concessions were sold in 1874 to Schneider and Cie.

Located south of the hamlet of Montalieu, at the place called La Combe, the blast furnace was listed for historical monuments in 1989, but this inscription was cancelled in 1993. It is labeled Heritage in Isère in 2019. The site includes the blast furnace building, a water supply canal, a lime oven and the facades of the master house, on a private plot by the river Alloix.

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