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Origin and history

The Barbaste mill, also known as the Henri IV mill, is a fortified wheat mill built at the end of the 13th century by the families of Lavardac and Bordes. Located on the right bank of the Gélise, near Nerac (Lot-et-Garonne), it originally belonged to the seigneury of Albret before passing under royal control. Its impressive architecture, with a central body with four square towers (up to 29 meters high), reflects its dual use: mill and stronghold. The archives reveal that Amanieu VII of Albret acquired his rights in 1306, consolidating his local power.

In the 16th century, the mill became an issue of the Wars of Religion. In 1571, Carbon de Faulong, intendant of the hunts of Henri de Navarre (future Henri IV), was appointed commander. The king, who uses it as a stop between Nerac and his park of Durance, nicknamed "loui mouté de Barbasto". In 1579, he financed repairs for £500. The mill, occupied by Protestants in 1621, was taken by the royal troops and then changed hands several times during the Fronde (1653). He remained bound to the crown until the alienation of the Duchy of Albret by Louis XIII in 1641.

After the Revolution, the mill was sold as a national good in 1810, then modernized in 1848 by M. Bransoulé, who made it a prosperous industrial mill. Ranked a historic monument in 1889, he suffered two fires (1907 and 1937) before being restored. Since 1988, it has been co-managed by the municipalities of Barbaste, Nérac, Lavardac and Vianne. Its adjacent bridge, attested as early as 1259, bears witness to its historical role in the control of riverways.

The mill illustrates the evolution of milling techniques and political conflicts in New Aquitaine, moving from a seigneurial tool to a symbol of industrial heritage. Its six floors, hydraulic mechanisms and massive towers make it a rare example of the South-West fortification mill, marked by struggles between Catholics and Protestants, and then by the 19th century agricultural revolution.

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