Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Divers
  3. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
  4. Isère
  5. 38470 Saint-Gervais

  6. Former cannon foundry

Former cannon foundry à Saint-Gervais dans l'Isère

Isère

Former cannon foundry

    103 Rue de la Vallée Verte
    38470 Saint-Gervais
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Ancienne fonderie de canons
Crédit photo : Celeda - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1700
1800
1900
2000
1678
First melted cannons
14 janvier 1679
Laying the first stone
1731
Repurchase by Louis XV
1805
Modernisation under Napoleon
1843
Restoration of buildings
1873
Final closure
13 novembre 1986
First MH protection
18 mars 2015
Total protection
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The former cannon smelter in its entirety, the aerial parts of the water supply channel and the catchment area located in the Drevenne: all the buildings of the former smelter, including the remaining wheel of the drill, the reservoir, the remains of the coal supply, the retaining walls, the large staircase, the north entrance, the aerial parts of the water supply channel, the powder box, as well as the plots on which they are located and shown in cadastre section A under numbers 39, 96, 807, 822; the rest of the aerial parts of the water supply channel listed in cadastre section A under headings 73, 86, 87, 194, 200, 201, 881, 897; the catchment area located in the waters of the Drevenne, on the commune of Saint-Gervais and on the commune of Rovon, not cadastre: inscription by order of 18 March 2015

Key figures

Jean-Baptiste Colbert - Minister of Louis XIV Initiator of the project with Dallies.
Samuel Dalliès de La Tour - Treasurer of the Dauphiné Co-founder, expert in metallurgy.
Marquise de Virieu - Landowner Lady of Saint-Gervais, local support.
Joseph Devoise - Cannon supplier Market for Toulon in 1748.
Jacques André Nicolet - Industrial (XX century) Buyer in 1912, founder of a cardboard shop.

Origin and history

The Royal Saint-Gervais cannon foundry, located in Isère, was created in 1678 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Samuel Dalliès de La Tour to produce iron cannons that were less expensive than bronze cannons. Located near the Isère, it used the ore from the Allevard mines and charcoal from the Ecouge forests. The first stone was laid in January 1679, marking the beginning of an intensive production for the navy of Louis XIV and then Louis XV after its acquisition in 1731.

In the 18th century, the foundry employed more than a hundred workers and supplied Toulon's arsenal, despite recurrent shortages of coal. Under the First Empire, it was modernized in 1805, reaching a monthly production of 30 cannons and 1,500 quintals of steel. The blast furnaces, powered by Drevenne's water, operated thanks to four hydraulic wheels, only one of which remains today.

The site reached its peak in the 19th century, with massive commands like 250 cannons in 1862. However, the advent of the striped cannon in 1873 made the establishment obsolete, resulting in its closure. Partially classified as historical monuments in 1986, then entirely in 2015, the foundry retains its Rovon stone buildings, its ovens, and its artificial pond. After 1912, the site was converted into a cardboard factory and then an industrial enterprise.

The architecture, unchanged since 1843, illustrates the industrial engineering of the period: a symmetrical rectangle bordering the Isère, with stone forebody, an exceptional wooden frame, and remnants of hydraulic infrastructure. The water-driven canal and catchment area, partially preserved, testify to its historic energy system.

The Saint-Gervais foundry embodies French metallurgical innovation, moving from iron cannons for Louis XIV to mass production under Napoleon. Its decline reflects the military technological evolution, while its conservation offers a rare example of an intact pre-industrial plant, now mixed property (private and communal).

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum