Construction of mill limite XIXe-XXe siècle (≈ 1865)
Period of construction and main activity
4 juillet 2007
Registration Historic Monument
Registration Historic Monument 4 juillet 2007 (≈ 2007)
Official site protection and machinery
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The mill, all of its machinery, its bief and the plots on which they are located (see Box B 617, 618, placed Le Pont): inscription by order of 4 July 2007
Origin and history
The Moulin Suc, classified as a Historical Monument, illustrates the flourishing activity of silk milling in the Forez region between the 19th and early 20th centuries. This building, semi-entered to maintain a constant humidity and temperature, consists of a residential part and a workshop on three levels: two floors dedicated to machines and a dormitory for workers. A major technical feature is its pioneering equipment: it was the first mill in the region to have a turbine, whose transmission belts, mechanism and original machines still remain.
Between the two parts of the building flows a deviation of the river, operating a wheel that drove the machines. This hydraulic system, combined with the adapted architecture, reflects the industrial ingenuity of the time, optimized for silk production. Together, including the mill, its machinery, its bief and surrounding plots, was included in the inventory of Historic Monuments by order of 4 July 2007, emphasizing its heritage importance.
The mill also bears witness to the living and working conditions of workers, often housed in collective dormitories. Its exceptional state of conservation, with technical elements still in place, makes it a rare and precious example of the French textile industrial heritage. The location in Soleymieux, in the Loire, makes it a key geographical marker of this regional economic activity, now disappeared but once dominant.
