Presumed construction of mill entre 1759 et 1773 (≈ 1773)
Estimated period of initial construction.
1881
Definitive cessation of activity
Definitive cessation of activity 1881 (≈ 1881)
End of milling operation.
11 mars 2004
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 11 mars 2004 (≈ 2004)
Protection of facades, roofs and hydraulic installations.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofing of the main building; lock basin and water supply ditch from its capture on the lock stream; courtyard flanking the mill to the east with its fountain backed; remains of the grain threshing and drying areas (Box AR 62, 63, 75): inscription by order of 11 March 2004
Key figures
Jean-Pierre-François Ripert de Monclar - Owner and initiator of the domain
Organised the plain and infrastructure.
Origin and history
The Bourgane water mill is part of a large estate structured in the 18th century by the family Ripert de Monclar. This ambitious project, centered on a castle never built, organized the plain of Saint-Saturnin around orthogonal axes, integrating gardens, fountains, basins and a complex hydraulic network. The mill, located south of the gardens, was the key element of a milling complex comprising three buildings. Probably built between 1759 and 1773, it operated with two horizontal wheels until it ceased operations in 1881.
The Bourgane estate, whose mill is a dependency, combined agricultural and wine-growing infrastructures, such as the Cabaret farm in the west, former stable and wine-growing. The hydraulics, including mines and a lock basin, illustrated an advanced technical mastery for the time. The mill, with its facades, roof, and remains of grain drying, was listed in the Historic Monuments in 2004, thus preserving a remarkable industrial and landscape heritage.
The entire estate reflects a desire for agricultural and architectural modernization in the 18th century, typical of the large Provencal families. Although the central castle had never been built, gardens, alleys and utility buildings such as the mill or the Cabaret farm remain, providing concrete evidence of the economic and aesthetic ambitions of the Ripert family in Monclar. The location of the mill, in the main axis of the gardens, emphasizes its role both functional and symbolic in the overall composition.
