Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne
MonumentHidden Treasure
Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne, located in Saint-Vincent-le-Paluel (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Saint-Vincent-le-Paluel, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8702, 1.2886
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083094
A jewel of Périgord vernacular architecture, this dry-stone hut with its corbelled vault and conical crown embodies the rural soul of the Périgord Noir, a living vestige of the old wine-growing regions.
History
Nestling in the soft soil of Saint-Vincent-le-Paluel, in the heart of the Dordogne, the Malevergne dry-stone hut is one of those humble buildings that harbour unsuspected architectural dignity. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1991, it belongs to a family of rural buildings that discreetly dot the Périgord landscape, silent witnesses to a bygone peasant civilisation. What immediately sets this hut apart is the absolute purity of its design: not a single gram of mortar, not the slightest chemical bond between the stones. Everything is based on the art of dry jointing, the rigorous selection of local limestone and the intuitive geometry of men who, generation after generation, had absorbed the secrets of empirical statics. The square base with its carefully rounded corners and the conical roof that rises towards the sky form an instantly recognisable, almost sculptural profile. To visit the Malevergne hut is to take a moment of silence in a landscape that has hardly changed since the 17th century. The building is set in an authentic agricultural environment, where dry stone walls, sunken lanes and plots of former vineyards form a remarkably coherent picture. The light of the Périgord region - golden in summer, low-angled in autumn - sculpts the irregularities of the stonework and reveals the raw beauty of the limestone. For the discerning visitor, the cabane de Malevergne also offers a lesson in cultural history: these buildings were not simply makeshift shelters, but real working tools, carefully planned and built to provide refuge for winegrowers during the long days in the plots far from the village. They bear witness to a wine-growing economy that has now disappeared, and the Périgord still bears the traces of which in its place names and topography.
Architecture
The Malevergne hut has a square floor plan, which is quite unusual in a body of work where circular forms are often in the majority. The corners of the square are carefully rounded, which is more than just an aesthetic choice: this arrangement distributes the lateral thrusts exerted by the corbelled vault more evenly and reinforces the overall solidity of the structure. The walls, built in horizontal courses of carefully selected local limestone and laid flat, rise gradually before sloping inwards to form the characteristic conical roof. The most remarkable architectural feature is the corbelled vault - the true technical signature of these Périgord buildings. Each row of stones extends slightly beyond the row below, gradually reducing the diameter of the opening until it closes to form a conical crown, sometimes punctuated by a ridge stone. This technique, which appears fragile at first glance, is in fact remarkably robust if the stones are correctly selected and laid with a slight outward incline, allowing water to run off naturally towards the outside of the walls. The interior was surprisingly dry and cool, providing an effective refuge from the rigours of the weather. The modest dimensions of the building - probably two to three metres on the inside - corresponded to the needs of one or two winegrowers seeking shelter during a storm or a lunch break.
Related Figures
Vignerons anonymes de Saint-Vincent-le-Paluel (XVIIe-XIXe siècle) — bâtisseurs de la cabaneArchitectes des Bâtiments de France de la Dordogne — responsables de la protection et de la restaurationConservateurs des Monuments Historiques (DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine) — instructeurs de la procédure d'inscription en 1991Ethnologues du CNRS et des universités périgourdines — documentalistes du patrimoine vernaculaire rural
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne located?
Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne is located in Saint-Vincent-le-Paluel, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne built?
Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne open to visitors?
Cabane en pierre sèche de Malevergne is currently closed to visitors.