Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Pays-de-la-Loire
  4. Maine-et-Loire
  5. 49460 Feneu

  6. Sautret water mill in Feneu

 Sautret water mill in Feneu en Maine-et-Loire

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine rural
Moulin
Moulin à eau
Maine-et-Loire

Sautret water mill in Feneu

    Clos de Sautre
    49460 Feneu
Photo de Sautret water mill in Feneu
Crédit photo : Alexpi93 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIe siècle
First mentions of the "great mill"
1406
Aveu de Brient de la Haye Joullain
1671
Aveu du prioreur du Bignon
1766
Fire and reconstruction of the large mill
1780
Reconstruction of the small mill
1870
Expansion of miller's home
1977
Final cessation of milling activity
2002
Registration for historical monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The facades and roofs of the whole mill and the miller's house; all the technical installations and machinery of the mill itself; the plate floors of the medieval roadway (with the remains of the "great mill") (cf. E 362, placed le Pré Moulin, 363, placed Pré du Chaussereau, 365, placedit Le Moulin de Sautret): inscription by order of 19 September 2002

Key figures

Brient de la Haye Joullain - My Lord and my man Author of an admission in 1406 for René d'Anjou.
Comte Goddes de Varennes - Local Lord in the 18th century Financed the reconstruction of the large mill.
Joseph François - Meunier in the 18th century Participated in the reconstruction of 1766.
Prieur du Bignon - Beneficiary of seigneurial rights Perceived tithe in 1671.

Origin and history

The Sutret mill, sometimes spelled Sautré, is a water mill located in the Maine-et-Loire department in Feneu. Its origin dates back to the Middle Ages, with mentions from the 12th century under the name of "great mill". The site, strategic, was controlled by a medieval castle locking access to Angers from Mayenne. In the 12th century, a carriageway and a marina were built to facilitate the operation of the mills and river navigation.

In the 17th century, two mills coexisted: the "great mill" (destinated at the milling of the grains) and the "small mill" (transformed into an 18th-century sheet mill). In 1766, the large mill burned and was rebuilt that same year by Count Goddes de Varennes and miller Joseph François. In 1780, the small mill was also rebuilt as a grain mill. Archives show that mills were subject to seigneurial rights, such as tithes on grains and fish.

The current mill, which was listed as a historic monument in 2002, maintains a complete milling equipment dating back to the late 19th century, complemented by installations from the first half of the 20th century. He remained active until 1977. Its milling house, enlarged in the 1870s, and its traditional machines (stone wheels, metal wheel) bear witness to its artisanal heritage in Anjou.

The site also includes the vestiges of the medieval roadway and the original "great mill", protected during registration. The medieval dike, called duet, served both as a defense and hydraulic control system for the airworthiness of the Mayenne. This mill illustrates the evolution of milling techniques and the strategic importance of seigneurial mills in Anjou.

The feudal confessions, such as that of Brient de la Haye Joulain in 1406 or that of the Prior of the Bignon in 1671, attest to the continued exploitation of the mills and the fees levied by the local lords. These documents highlight the economic and social role of the site, linked to both flour production, sheeting and river fishing.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum