Moulin à vent de la Pinsonnerie
MonumentHidden Treasure
La Pinsonnerie is an 18th-century cave mill on the hillsides of Anjou, with its Berton wings and mechanisms still intact - a rare example of traditional milling in Anjou.
History
In the heart of the Layon vineyards, in the commune of Faye-d'Anjou, the Pinsonnerie windmill rises with haughty sobriety from its limestone knoll. A cavier-type mill - one of the most accomplished forms of milling in Anjou - it embodies the ingenuity of rural craftsmen in the second half of the 18th century, who knew how to make the most of the valley's prevailing winds. What immediately distinguishes the Pinsonnerie from the mills of the plains is its elegant silhouette: the masonry cone rests on a circular mass pierced by two parallel cellars, creating a functional architecture that time has magnified. Its Berton wings, each with eleven planks, are characteristic of a regulation system invented at the end of the 18th century by Pierre-Théophile Berton, whose adoption testifies to the technical dynamism of Anjou's millers. A visit to the Pinsonnerie is a chance to get up close and personal with a working tool that has been preserved almost exactly as it was. The two pairs of millstones installed in the heart of the feeder, the wheat cleaner nestling in the cone, the hutch that was swung around using a copper ladder: each element tells the story of the precise movements of a 19th-century miller. From the terrace that crowns the circular mass, visitors can take in both the mechanism and the landscape. The setting itself adds to the enchantment. The gentle undulations of the River Layon, the rows of vines that produce the famous Coteaux du Layon and the hamlets of white tufa stone make up a picture that has changed little since the mill's wings last turned in 1926. The light of Anjou, renowned for its golden hues, caresses the dark stone of the cone particularly well in the late afternoon.
Architecture
The moulin de la Pinsonnerie belongs to the so-called "cavier" type, typical of Anjou and Maine-et-Loire, which differs from the classic tower mill in that it has a circular masonry mass with cellars. This low mass, which serves as a foundation, a flour cellar and a storage area, comprises two parallel cellars: one, the main one, gives access to the base of the massereau - the revolving tower - and houses two pairs of millstones; the other, the secondary one, was used to store grain and flour. The terrace that crowns the circular mass serves as a work platform and lookout point, and provides access to the upper part of the massereau. The upper part of the massereau, a cone made of local limestone masonry, houses a wheat cleaner - a device used to remove impurities from the grain before milling. The hucherolle, a conical cap at the top, can be turned by means of a long tail ladder that serves as a windvane: the miller could thus manually turn the cap to present the wings to the wind. The four yards are fitted with classic Berton flights of eleven planks each, a system with movable shutters that was characteristic of the modernisation of French milling at the turn of the 19th century. This equipment, combined with the solidity of the masonry and the well-preserved quality of the wooden and wrought iron mechanisms, makes the Pinsonnerie an exceptional architectural and technical landmark.
Related Figures
Pierre-Théophile Berton — ingénieur dont le système d'ailes à planches mobiles équipe le moulinLes meuniers de la famille Pinsonnier ou Pinsonnat — propriétaires probables du XVIIIe siècle, dont le nom a pu donner celui du lieu-ditDernier meunier de la Pinsonnerie (actif jusqu'en 1926) — ultime gardien de la tradition meunière angevineInspecteur des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier de classement en 1978 — figure anonyme mais décisive dans la sauvegarde du moulin
