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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The wheels of Mont Vouan are a vast set of quarries dedicated to the extraction of millstones, located mainly on the slopes of Mont de Vouan (978 m) and des Voirons, in Haute-Savoie. These quarries, dug in a sandy conglomerate from the Eocene, were exploited for their homogeneous stone, ideal for making grain grinding wheels. Their exploitation extends from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, with an estimated production of more than 100,000 millstones, economically equivalent to a resource as valuable as gold for the local inhabitants.

The geology of the site, characterized by sandstone banks inclined to the southeast, allowed to dig deep, sometimes triangular, chambers like the Grand'Gueule. Four major quarries have been the subject of archaeological excavations: the Grand'Gueule (Middle Age, abandoned in the 15th–12th centuries), the 73-metre mill (active until the 18th century), the Molière à Vachat (abandoned at the end of 19th century), and the Molière de la Corbière (active from the 13th century). This research, conducted in 2010–2011 by teams from the University of Grenoble and CNRS, revealed 72 careers, making Mont Vouan the largest mill in south-eastern France.

The site, formerly located in the former province of Faucigny (duchy of Savoie), was a major source of wealth. A millstone was then worth the price of a house, illustrating the economic importance of this activity. Today, several quarries, such as the Grand'Gueule and the Molière à Vachat, have been classified as historical monuments since 2009 and open to the public. Their preservation allows us to discover the history of work, bread and the daily life of the workers, while perpetuating local legends, such as that of the gull to the dead, a pond where a miller drowned on a Christmas night.

The careers are spread over the municipalities of Viuz-en-Sallaz, Fillinges and Saint-André-de-Boëge. Their exploitation has marked the landscape and the regional economy, with traces of tools, size marks and, in the mill of Saint-André, rare religious engravings in Europe. These elements reflect a complex industrial organisation, combining technical know-how and popular beliefs, in a unique geological and historical context.

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