Open Writing

We had always wondered, as we travelled through the Midi-Pyrenees region of France, what the funny little buildings were, dotting the middle of some of the fields.

Little buildings, some old, some new, some dilapidated and even some that appeared to have been renovated.

On asking around, we found that these were 'pigeon houses' or pigeonniers, built to house the pigeons—to give them peace and tranquility, while allowing them to keep watch over their homes in case of attack by predatory birds and of course other animals.

We were entranced by these little houses, set in the middle of the fields—sometimes surrounded by crops, or at times with cattle grazing around them. We set out to discover what we could about them and to photograph as many as possible within the Département du Tarn.

During the 16th and 17th centuries many farmers built these pigeonniers in the middle of their fields to show off their wealth and many tried to outdo each other with bigger and better architectural designs. The oldest pigeonnier of the Tarn and Garonne is in the ancient Abbaye of Montauriol, near Montauban, which dates from 1546.

You may not know that up until World War 1, pigeons were used as 'air mail' messengers, when a military pigeon house was then built in Albi.

The Pigeonniers of the Midi-Pyrenees are very diverse, and the ones in the Tarn have their own style. Many of these were built along the original style of the Languedoc, while still affirming their identity Quercynoise.

It is here that you will find many pigeonniers—on pillars or columns, some square, some round, with many were made of wood with an inlay of bricks.

A large chapiteau (hat) of stone often sits atop the pillars, preventing any predators from entering. Sometimes too, you will find a stone protrusion around the wall, placed there to allow the pigeons to rest before flying away.

It is important to remember that in France pigeon meat was, and still is, highly prized, particularly when the pigeons are young. Many a good meal has been cooked and enjoyed by the farmers on whose land these pigeonniers are built. Another reason for keeping pigeonniers on their land was that their droppings were used as fertilizer and in the wine-growing areas of France, pigeon manure has long been used to fertilize the vines.

There is an anecdotal note which says that pigeonniers were also often used as part of a girl's dowry. At the marriage of Marguerite Gralhet in 1564 in Itzac she offered her father's pigeon house to her future husband.

In a way, the construction of the pigeonniers helped increase the pigeon population, to the point where around 1789 the owners were obliged to constrain the pigeons during certain times of the year. In 1862 the Adminstration of Toulouse wrote that there were 420,000 pigeons in the Haute-Garonne, and they were considered a liability.

Nowadays the owners of the pigeonniers are sometimes able to seek a subsidy from the government to help in renovations, as well as to receive funds that will help them with their upkeep.

Part of the enjoyment spent in the Tarn was going out in the car looking for examples of these wonderful pigeonniers and to our delight we were able to find six beautiful examples of these lovely little houses. We were most fortunate in being able to speak with the owners for permission to take photographs and as always we were made to feel very welcome.

One in particular was part of a local winery, and on speaking to the owner, we were taken on a conducted tour of their private home as well as the winery before being escorted to the field to take the photographs.

As we became more and more fascinated with these pigeonniers, we purchased small replicas to bring home with us, and they now feature in our home as conversation pieces.

Even in the family home where we stay during our time in the Tarn, there is a pigeonnier attached to the farmhouse that still houses many pigeons.

© Poppy Fogarty