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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Royal Manufacture of Montolieu was founded in 1734 by Louis Pascal (1695-1752), by order of Louis XV, becoming the 12th Royal Manufacture of Languedoc. It received an annual donation of 3,000 francs and a quota of 600 sheets per year, known for their finesse. Its peak extended from 1742 to 1790, under the direction of Pierre-André-Louis Thoron from 1756. The building, completed in 1740, was home to workshops, crates and housing, fed by the River La Dure.

The building, registered as a historical monument in 2004, was transformed in the 19th and 20th centuries. After the Revolution, its decline began, accentuated by wars. In 1909, it was sold, then converted into guest rooms. Between February and September 1939, he served internment for Spanish Republican refugees. Its architecture, marked by a royal cartridge hammered at the Revolution, bears witness to its prestigious industrial past.

The textile industry in Montolieu dates back to the Middle Ages, with family workshops brought together from the 14th century. The 1312 charter granted by Philippe le Bel favored their development. After the Wars of Religion, Colbert structured this activity in the 17th century, leading to the creation of the Royal Manufacture. The purity of the waters of La Dure explained the textile implantation, combining local know-how and monarchy support.

The building, rectangular, included an elevated ground floor for the workshops, a noble floor for the owner's apartments, and attices serving as shops. The decoration, sober, was limited to the mists of marble or wood fireplaces. The hydraulic water intake, initially at the front, was partially filled in 1688 to build a street.

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