Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Vignasse windmill, located in Montbrun-Lauragais, is a tower-type truncated building built of brick on a hill. Dated from 1680 by an inscription above one of its lintels, it is distinguished by its two entrances on one level, a peculiarity rare in the region. Inside, the ground floor houses two pairs of grinding wheels, a device typical of the Lauragais windmills. This mill, which was stopped before World War I, underwent several phases of restoration and modernization.

In 1948-1950, Raymond Pastre, a mill carpenter from Mourvilles-Hautes, restored the building and restarted it. Between 1953 and 1954, Marius Hebrard's crew of a 12 horsepower Leroy electric motor and a grain grinder, allowing its operation until 1962. After its acquisition by the municipality in 1991, a complete restoration was undertaken in 2000: the tower is coated, the roof and wings are replaced, and the internal mechanisms are redone, with the exception of the grinding wheels and the engine shaft, to make the mill operational again.

The Vignasse Mill has been listed as a Historic Monument since May 24, 1965 for its exterior, and is an example of the architecture and traditional Molinian techniques of Lauragais. Its history also reflects the technological adaptations of the 20th century, with the addition of an electric motor, before its definitive shutdown in 1962. Today, it bears witness to the local industrial and artisanal heritage, preserved thanks to successive restorations.

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