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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pruneau pigeon house, located in Bessines (Deux-Sèvres), has been a listed historical monument since 1994. Built in the 2nd quarter of the 17th century, it stands out for its double function as a porch and dovecote. The ground floor, made of cut stone, forms a vaulted passage with two arches in the middle of the hanger (a cochère door and a pedestrian), flanked by flat pilasters and glacis foothills. This structure allowed access to an inner courtyard, typical of the agricultural developments of the time.

The upper elevation houses the dovecote proper, of square plan, built of rubble and coated stones. A mulled coat of arms, worn by a bandeau dating from 1631, is attributed to the Marais family, suggesting their property or sponsorship. The barrel of the dovecote is girdled with an area of flight, while the four-paned roof, topped by a lantern, is pierced with triangular pediments. A rectangular bay, accessible by a ladder, used to allow the monitoring of bolts (nids).

Architecturally, this dovecote illustrates the social status of its owners: the dovecotes were then seigneurial or bourgeois privileges, reserved for noble or affluent families. The presence of a coat of arms and the quality of the decorations (pilasters, acroteres with balls) confirm this symbolic dimension. The monument, although partially isolated today, was originally integrated into a set of buildings, of which only traces remain.

Protection under Historic Monuments (1994) underscores its heritage value, both for its state of conservation and for its hybrid plan, rare in Poitou-Charentes. Sources (Monumentum, Merimée base) locate the site at approximately 46q Rue de Chanteloup, with a map accuracy deemed "passable" (note 5/10).

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