Colombier troglodytique - Cinais, France - Dovecotes on Waymarking.com

[E] Up until the 18th century, pigeon houses also known as dovecots, were a building intended to house and raise pigeons.
The right to own a pigeon house varied among regions. It had to be proportional to the size of the property.
Pigeons were seen as serious pest by farmers, especially at planting time. On this occasion it was necessary to shut pigeons in by blocking the openings of the dovecotes.

If the dovecotes with a circular or quadrangular base are frequent in the area around Chinon, this one is rarer because troglodytic. It has 180 boulins (holes or nests intended for sitting) and is housed in a old tuffeau (local chalk stone) quarry.


[F] Jusqu'au XVIIIème siècle, un pigeonnier, aussi nommé colombier, était un édifice destiné à loger et élever des pigeons.
Le droit de posséder un pigeonnier variait suivant les provinces. Il devait être proportionnel à l'importance de la propriété.
Les pigeons étaient vus comme des catastrophes par les cultivateurs, en particulier au moment des semailles. A cette occasion, il fallait enfermer les pigeons en obstruant les ouvertures des pigeonniers.

Si les pigeonniers à base circulaire ou quadrangulaire sont fréquents dans le Chinonais, celui-ci est plus rare car troglodytique. Il possède 180 boulins (trous ou nids destinés à la couvaison) et est aménagé dans une ancienne carrière d'extraction de tuffeau.

(If known) Approximately how many pigeonholes in the dovecote?: 180

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Date Logged Log   04/15/2014 Chickilim visited it