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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The windmill of Boisse, located at the place called "Moulin de Boisse" in Sainte-Alauzie (Lot), is mentioned for the first time in 1699 as the property of the lord of Boisse, although no vestiges of that time remain. The present mill, dated 1813 with an inscription on its lintel, was rebuilt stone by stone on a hill less exposed to lightning, replacing an old mill of Cézac regularly struck by the weather. Its original architecture includes two opposite entrances to the ground floor, a rotating conical roof, and an ingenious system allowing the miller to adjust the wheels from his bed, warned by a bell in case of strong wind.

The mill experienced several periods of decline and restoration. Abandoned during World War II, it was redesigned in the late 1960s, with a replacement of the engine shaft and roof. Damaged by the storms of 1999 and 2015, it benefited from a major renovation in 2012. Since 2 May 1979, it has been listed as a historic monument, with an inscription of 1892 signed "QUEBRE LOUIS", bearing evidence of further work in the millroom.

Today, the mill is animated by the association Les Amis du Moulin de Boisse, which organizes milling demonstrations, notably during the National Mills Day (17 June) and in summer. Open to the public from June to September, it illustrates the rural industrial heritage of Occitanie, combining technical history and collective preservation. Its occasional operation perpetuates ancestral know-how, while recalling the climatic challenges facing these buildings.

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