Dovecotes in the Tarn, South-West France
Dovecotes and Gaillac wine
Standing in the middle of open countryside or situated close to a farm, the dovecotes are an essential component of the vine covered hillsides or the open cornfields. The construction of these varies – arched, on columns, round, pyramid shaped, with square towers…..you can find about 1800 of them in Tarn. In former times, pigeons were very much appreciated not only on the plate, but above all as a source of fertilizer. In the middle-ages the monks of the St-Michel Abbey in Gaillac had evenforbidden to use any other mean for dunging the Gaillac vineyards in order to guarantee quality and taste of the Gaillac wine: for that reason there are so many pigeonniers in the Gaillac area.
Originally, keeping a pigeon loft was a privilege for noblemen and clergymen only; here in the region this right was extended to large farms. And of course, these privileges were banished by the French Revolution: every citizen got the same rights, however, not necessarily the financial means to build a pigeonnier.
If you would like to discover dovecotes in the Gaillac vineyards, we in B&B Artichaud might give suggest you some nice tours by car, bicycle or for walking.
