Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Nagasse mill, attested since the 14th century, was a noble property dependent on the archbishops of Toulouse. Located in Verfeil in Haute-Garonne, on the Balerme (fluent of Girou), it has traversed centuries alternating periods of activity, ruin and restoration. Originally linked to Verfeil's chestnut, his successive owners – including figures of the religious wars like Jacques de Verdiguier – made it an economic and seigneurial issue. The mill, rebuilt in 1699-1700 after a fire, became a main residence in the 18th century before declining.

Over the centuries, the mill often changed hands: ruined in 1598, it was bought by Toulouse merchants such as Raymond Lacroix or the Assézat family. In 1699 Jean Giscard, a draper, restored him and adjusted a windmill there. The site expanded again until its final closure in 1909, before World War I. Turned into a farm, he fell into ruin before being saved in 1969 by Henri Soulet and his sister, who restored him without public assistance. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1971, it now embodies a preserved architectural heritage.

The mill's architecture, entirely made of brick, combines functionality and defense: a rectangular plan (11x9 m), two diagonal towers, and portals in full hanger. The hydraulic system, partially reconstituted, bears witness to its past use. Inside, ancient materials (oak beams, walnut carpentry) recall its industrial history. Although the mechanics have disappeared, the site, with its basin and canal, retains a picturesque atmosphere, between manor and work tool.

The Nagasse mill also illustrates local economic changes: first linked to flour milling, it incorporated an oil press in the 19th century. Its decline in the 20th century reflects the agricultural mechanization and the disappearance of traditional mills. Today an undivided property of the Soulet brothers, it symbolizes the resilience of a rural heritage, between collective memory and contemporary adaptation.

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