Moulin à vent de la Bigottière
MonumentHidden Treasure
Moulin à vent de la Bigottière, located in Mozé-sur-Louet (Maine-et-Loire), 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
- Mozé-sur-Louet, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3607, -0.5630
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109223
A 17th-century cavier windmill on a shale base in the Loire Valley, restored in 1987 with new Berton wings to turn once again under the Anjou sky.
History
Perched in the gentle, undulating landscape of the Louet hillsides, the Bigottière mill is one of the few surviving examples of wind milling in Anjou. Its stocky, proud silhouette, characteristic of the cavier type - a mill whose tower rests on a high masonry mass - stands out against the agricultural horizon of Mozé-sur-Louet with a very special presence. Built on a base of local schist stone, this mill embodies the traditional craftsmanship of a region where the wind, rarer than on the plains, was nevertheless skilfully harnessed to grind grain for the surrounding farms. What sets the Moulin de la Bigottière apart from many other windmills in France is precisely its resurrection. After decades of silence - its wings dismantled, its mechanisms scattered or rusted - in 1987 it benefited from a careful restoration that brought it back to life: a hucherolle was fitted, a pivoting bonnet that directs the cap according to the wind, and new Berton-type wings were installed, a system perfected in the 19th century that allows the wind to be regulated from the ground using movable shutters. To visit the Bigottière mill is to enter the silent daily life of the millers of 17th and 18th century Anjou. The partially restored interior reveals the astonishing complexity of a mechanism made entirely of wood and stone, designed to transform the force of the wind into flour. The large rotating wings, when the wind lends itself to it, offer a spectacle that is both archaic and fascinating. The natural setting adds to the charm of the site. The slopes of the Louet, a tributary of the Loire, form a landscape of vines, tufa stone and schist where the mill seems to have always been part of the scenery. The late afternoon light, grazing the slates and millstones, makes this a rare photographic subject, far from the crowds and the signposted tourist routes.
Architecture
The moulin de la Bigottière is of the so-called "cavier" type, typical of western France and particularly widespread in Anjou, Poitou and Brittany. The fundamental characteristic of the cavier is its masonry base: a cylindrical or slightly tapered stone tower, high enough to clear the wings of any surrounding obstacles (hedges, trees, buildings). At La Bigottière, this base is built from local schist stone, a material that is ubiquitous on the Louet hillsides, giving it the dark colour and rough texture characteristic of Anjou vernacular architecture. The rotating cap, a wooden cap traditionally covered in shingles or planks, which houses the upper mechanisms and supports the four wings, rests on this solid mass of schist. Since the 1987 restoration, the mill has been equipped with a hucherolle - a small rudder wing perpendicular to the large wings, allowing the cap to be automatically or manually adjusted to face the wind - and four Berton wings. This system, developed by Pierre-Théophile Berton from the Vendée in the early 19th century, consists of flaps hinged to the frame of the wings and adjustable from the ground, giving much greater control over the speed of rotation according to the strength of the wind. The interior was laid out on several levels accessible by ladders or a narrow internal staircase: the spinning wheel on the upper level, the standing and running wheels on the middle level, and the hutch and airlock at the bottom of the tower. Although some of the original mechanisms were lost before restoration, the elements that have been restored help us to understand the mechanical logic of this building, where wood, stone and metal interacted to transform wind energy into flour.
Related Figures
Les meuniers successifs de la Bigottière (XVIIe-XXe siècle), artisans anonymes de la vie rurale angevinePierre-Théophile Berton, ingénieur vendéen inventeur du système d'ailes à volets réglables qui équipe le moulinLes propriétaires de la seigneurie de la Bigottière, commanditaires présumés de la construction au XVIIe siècleLes artisans restaurateurs de 1987, charpentiers de moulins spécialisés dans la pose de la hucherolle et des ailes BertonLes agents des Monuments Historiques ayant conduit la campagne thématique moulins des années 1980
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Moulin à vent de la Bigottière located?
Moulin à vent de la Bigottière is located in Mozé-sur-Louet, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Moulin à vent de la Bigottière built?
Moulin à vent de la Bigottière dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Moulin à vent de la Bigottière open to visitors?
Moulin à vent de la Bigottière is currently closed to visitors.