Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The watermill of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was attested in 1317, when Sobirana de Gourdon rented it to the miller Bertrand Reyné. After the Hundred Years' War, it was rebuilt in the 15th century, as evidenced by the remains preserved in the water chamber and the upper chamber. In 1474, the coseigneurs Raimond de Saint-Cirq and Raimond de Cardaillac gave it to Bertrand Delport, miller, against an annual rent. The building, in ruins in 1727, was restored by Jean Fournier, a surgeon, who rebuilt the residential floor.

In the 19th century, a lock was added against the mill. In 1927, three pairs of grinding wheels were still in operation, one of which was dedicated to a wood tap factory. A modernization took place in 1932 with the installation of a Lafon grinder and a Bulher converter, replacing a pair of grinding wheels. The mill, transformed into a hydraulic mill in 1956, ceased operations in 1966. A pair of grinding wheels, restored in 1999, now allows for milling demonstrations.

Ranked a historic monument in 1973 for its facades and roofs, the mill retains technical elements such as tanks, gears, and a rack valve system. After his industrial abandonment, he was converted into a dwelling house, while preserving traces of his milling past, such as millstones used in pavements or partially preserved machines.

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