Le monde troglodytique saumurois
Et c'est Vanessa qui cloturait cette riche après-midi en nous présentant dans le bus, sur le chemin du retour, le monde troglodytique saumurois... : Intro monde troglodytique :
The Anjou is a cave dwelling region.
Troglo = not house but inhabitant but ended up designing the dwelling
Often former quarries = transformed into houses or people just dug out to make a house.
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Why are there so many sites is the region?
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Because soil = lime stone +sometimes less expensive because could sell stone they extracted
Hillside = fight against the lack of space between the hillside and the loire river and it led people to live in places that were not meant to this use like former quarries
Hillside troglo (here tuffa) vs flat open country troglo (doué la fontaine = falun)
Most of the times stables were dug out as well just near dwelling so to warm up a little. Temperature is always between 14 and 15 °C
But caves were not only used for living, but also for cultivation (mushrooms) or wine ageing or craftsmen workshops (basket maker, fruits tapés …)
Dwellers = peasants or craftsmen or lords or stone cutters or bargemen/bargees b/c Loire river = important waterway for commerce through france and abroad (wine, stone…MRS OVERLAET) 17° 18° but railroad ended the time of the loire bargees
Troglodytes were already mentioned by Caesar as gallic burrows so this tradition is old
Craftsmen: diversified: small and bigger wine growers; silkworm breeding; basket makers; fruits tapés; hemps weavers b/c a lot of hemp grown in region
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When troglodytes had enough money often they built houses so little by little cave dwellings were deserted.
In 60’s 70’s = unconventional people still lived here, more often =used for storage. Now quite different, sought after as second homes or artist’s studios. More and more restaurants (typically troglodytic recipes l/ stuffed mushrooms or “fouées”), hotels or B and B. AND EVEN in doué la fontaine: zoo in a former quarry.
Even craftsmen: fruits tapés, basket making b/c humidity keeps wicker flexible
Even art galleries
Hillside = fragile, rifts, may be landslides and collapsings…But it is not well known so state doesn’t help much protecting troglo. Small protection associations were created like in Montsoreau to restore former houses
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Champis:
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After epidemic devastated wine growing economy, the inhabitants of the region had to find out another way to make a living: troglo transfo into mushroom beds. some are still in activity today and region accounts for about 70% of the production of cultivated mushrooms, but also grow oyster mushrooms…But now many mushrooms are grown in air-conditioned sheds
Musée du champignon saumur
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Worship:
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During religious wars => sheltered persecuted protestants who sculpted statues => denezé sous doué la cave aux sculptures
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Wine growing and troglo:
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One of the main use of troglo=wine ageing. Important for the economy of the region, in the beginning essentially for peasant’s own use. Wine press in almost every troglo site. Very handy b/c threw grapes in holes l/chimneys.
Lots of vineyards are the result of religious implantations (monasteries...)
Ageing b/c fresh, dark and spacious places. Then Duke of Anjou = kg of England: developed wine-growing but 19°C: epidemic that devastated vineyards Phylloxera
Eco had to diversify for people to subsist. Vines were reintroduced much later thanks to American stocks which resisted to the disease.
WINES diversified; lots of red wines like Saumur champigny. And as the soil of the region favors sparkling…sparkling wines like bouvay ladubay /Ackermann/gratien meyer
Development helped by railroad
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Sites vus:
- Chateau de souzay (cf château breze)
Here lots of troglo houses and many hidden behind houses built more recently. This castle hides an important troglodytic part. The part we can see was actually built in the 19°C but the troglodytic part is much older and is said to have sheltered Marguerite of Anjou (Daughter of King René and wife of Henry VI of Lancaster) though it might as well not be true. The castle of Brézé which is not very far is actually built upon a troglodytic castle.
- La grande vignolle
Body of troglodytes, seigniorial dwelling which belonged to the protector of Marguerite d’Anjou(Daughter of King René and wife of Henry VI of Lancaster). First lords lived in a manor not far and this was occupied by the domestics but in the 16°C they finally lived in it. It shelters a rib vault chapel and several other rooms (kitchens…)
- Gratien Meyer
One of main Vineyard in the region. In 1864, Alfred Gratien bought a piece of land known as "Le Petit Puy" in the Saumur district for production purposes. The land was riddled with old mining shafts created during the mining of limestone. So he purchased some 10 km of underground passages. A few years later, in 1874, he made Albert Jean Meyer, an enthusiastic wine connoisseur from Alsace, his partner to ensure the continuation of the company. The site can be visited and the visit ends with a wine tasting.
- Saut aux loups
Mushroom bed + museum + restaurant. Called this way because wolves actually lived in this site when it was no longer used as a quarry (MA – 19°). Then it was used as a mushroom bed and years ago a restaurant opened.