Construction 2e moitié du XVIIIe siècle (≈ 1850)
Estimated period of construction of the monument.
11 juin 2019
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 11 juin 2019 (≈ 2019)
Official protection of the wash by order.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Lavoir dit Lavoir des Contagieux, sis à Castellmare, as delimited by a red line on the plan annexed to the decree (cad. AS 17): inscription by order of 11 June 2019
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
The source text does not mention any historical actors.
Origin and history
Lavoir dit Lavoir des Contagieux, located in Saint-Chamas on the shores of the pond of Berre, dates from the second half of the eighteenth century. It is distinguished by its vaulted hall structure, built on rocky soil at the very site of a source that feeds its basin. The building, covered with stone slabs, rests on arcades and is reinforced by foothills. Its architecture reflects a typical conception of the washhouses of the time, adapted to the hygienic and social needs of rural communities.
The central basin of the washbasin is divided into two parts: a small upstream rinse, fed directly by the clean water of the spring, and a large washbasin downstream, where used water discharges naturally to the pond through an orifice pierced in the west wall. This system illustrates a pragmatic management of water resources, essential in rural Provencal areas. The wash, now protected under the Historic Monuments since 2019, bears witness to the importance of collective infrastructures in the daily life of past centuries.
Located away from the village, in Castellmare, this wash is named after "Lavoir des Contagieux", suggesting historical use linked to periods of epidemics or quarantines. Although the archives do not specify the exact circumstances of this name, it recalls the ancestral health measures put in place to limit the spread of diseases. The property of the commune and its recent inscription underline its heritage and memorial value for Saint-Chamas and its region.
