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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The ordinary oven of Meyrieu is an architectural vestige of the sixteenth century, located in the hamlet of Meyrieu, on the commune of Saint-Germain-les-Parosses. This type of oven, typical of medieval villages and the Renaissance, was shared by the inhabitants, who had to cook their bread there for a seigneurial or communal fee. Its designation as a historical monument in 1938 reflects its heritage importance and its preservation as part of the French rural heritage.

Located in the department of Ain, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, this oven illustrates the collective organisation of village communities in modern times. Banal ovens played a central role in daily life: they made it possible to centralize the cooking of bread, reducing the risk of fire from domestic furnaces. Their use was often regulated by strict rules, reflecting local social and economic hierarchies. This monument thus offers an overview of 16th century agricultural and craft practices in Bugey, a region marked by a rural economy and still perennial seigneurial traditions.

The common oven of Meyrieu is now owned by the municipality of Saint-Germain-les-Parosses. Although the available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) do not specify its current state or its modalities of opening to the public, its status as a historic monument guarantees its protection. Data from the Merimée database precisely locate it in the hamlet of Meyrieu, confirming its territorial anchor. Its architecture, although little detailed in the documents, is a typical example of the utility constructions of this period, often made of local materials such as stone or torchi.

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