Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Marcognac's kaolin quarry, located in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in Haute-Vienne, is the first kaolin extraction site in Limousin. This material, essential to the manufacture of porcelain, was discovered in 1768 by Jean-Baptiste Darnet. As early as the second half of the 18th century, its operation fed the production of porcelain in Limoges, with annual production reaching 350 tons in 1801. The site, which ceased operations in 1935 for kaolin and 1976 for feldspaths, is the most productive in the local mining district.

The Marcognac site, which spans several parcels, includes open pit quarries, wooden and torchi buildings, and mining infrastructure (such as a carnet system set up in 1880). It shows a mixture of mining, agricultural and vegetable activities. Ranked a historic monument in 2002 and integrated with the remarkable Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche heritage site, it is now designed for visitors after its acquisition by the commune in the 1990s.

Marcognac's career is one of forty mining sites in the Chalard-Montgibaud district. Its historic role is linked to the development of the limousine pig industry, including the Sèvres factory, which was fuelled by the career of the Grand Vergne until 1936. The remains of the site, including pits, buildings and soils, illustrate mining techniques and the organization of mining work of the 18th and 19th centuries.

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