Tithe Barn

Every year the mairie, as everywhere else in France, sends out an invite to all the inhabitants to the Bonne Année Réception. This year the reception was held last Sunday, on Epiphany and there was a huge turnout. There were even local big-wigs seen pressing the flesh.

Entrance; some landscaping yet to be done

The reason? Our Salle des Spectacles has been completed. Well, as Claude, our maire pointed out in his speech, all barring some landscaping and the final fitting out of the kitchens. Our commune is home to just over 500 people and we estimated that about 300 turned up to inspect the new facility. We don't think they were disappointed. We weren't, it has been very tastefully done.

Great view over the Aigronne valley

The new salle des spectacles has been formed out of part of the range of outbuildings which are all that is left of the original feudal castle. We've written about the complex before, here and here. Sadly, the main building of the feudal castle is now, after many mutations,  a semi-derelict ferme fort.

Beginning to fill up with people

Laid out on the tables next to the glasses all ready for the vin d'honneur were copies of a really interesting little leaflet about the history of the building which now forms the heart of the complex.

Local big-wigs getting in on the act

We knew it was a barn, one of a series of buildings which were orginally within the feudal castle's bailey; but it seems that it was a little bit more important than that. Research by  our village historical society has found that it was a "grange aux dîmes " or tithe barn owned by the seigneur [lord of the manor] of Charnizay. Although there are no 'proper' archives for the Charnizay tithe barn they have found some mentions of it in 17th, 18th and 19th century documents.

La salle: getting crowed

It seems that though owned by the seigneur of Charnizay, the barn was probably given over in use to the Prieuré [priory] of Charnizay for storing the tithes.  A mention in the records of the Prieuré de Charnizay from 24 June 1634 records that one brother Georges Boisdron, Prior of both Charnizay and of La Sainte Trinité de Fourgere in Britanny, levied the rights of "dixieme", "terrage" and other taxes due to the lord of the manor in right of tenancy.  The "dîmes" was a tax of a tenth of the harvest levied on crops such as cereals or on produce such as wine. The "droit de terrage" were feudal dues paid in kind--labour.  The number of taxes and tithes due to the lords of the manor, whether secular or religious, were many!

A glass of kir and a slice of brioche for Bonne Année & the opening

All this came to an end with the fall of the Ancien Régime and the French Revolution. In the inventory of goods and property made in 1802 on the death of Charlotte de Menou [member of a leading local family] there is a mention of 'La grange de Reserve au bourg' formerly the 'grange aux dîmes'.

So thanks to the renovation and transformation the 'grange aux dîmes' has been given a new lease of life as our salle des spectacles; and worth raising a glass to!