Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dovecote d'Auzéville, located in Clermont-en-Argonne in the department of the Meuse (Great East region), is a historical monument dating from the first half of the seventeenth century. Its architecture, characteristic of the 16th and 17th centuries, combines a square plan with a mixed stone structure and wood panel. A precise date, 1633, is engraved on the building, attesting to its construction at that time. This type of dovecote, often associated with seigneuries or farms, served as both a symbol of prestige and a food reserve for pigeons, a valuable resource in the countryside.

The dovecote is now owned by the municipality of Clermont-en-Argonne. Its inclusion in the inventory of protected monuments underlines its heritage importance, both for its architecture and for its role in local history. The available coordinates place the monument at 12 Rue Basse, although the accuracy of this location is considered satisfactory a priori according to the criteria of the Merimée base. No information is provided on its current accessibility or possible tourist functions.

The Lorraine region, integrated since 2016 in the Grand Est, has many similar dovecotes, remains of the agro-seigneurial systems of the Ancien Régime. These buildings reflect the social and economic organization of the countryside, where the possession of a dovecote was often reserved for the most affluent lords or village communities. In Clermont-en-Argonne, as elsewhere, these structures also served as territorial markers, affirming the presence and power of their owners.

External links