A communal bread oven in the Dordogne: the Four de Py

ATG trips: The Dordogne (Journeys and Footloose)

This remarkable little building belongs to a period, not many generations back, when village life in the Dordogne was very different, and so it serves as a reminder of a way of life that has disappeared. Some village houses would have been large enough and sophisticated enough to have their own bread ovens, but many villagers depended on the communal bake house, so the Four de Py would have been a vital part of the weekly routine and the social life of the village.

The Four de Py belongs to the community, and the local council is responsible for its upkeep. After falling into disuse, the building quickly degenerated until it verged on collapse if nothing was done. Local funds are scarce, so we were delighted to help the village of Loubressac to save this little part of its past.

It is a very simple building with no architectural pretensions, dated 1845 on the lintel, constructed from local materials, and roofed in lauzes, the heavy roofing stones of the area. It is, however, highly unusual in that it contains not one but two ovens, one at each end of the building, and it forms a very attractive feature in its village context.

In 2005, renovation work was completed, reusing as much as possible of the original materials and the traditional dry-stone methods. The end result is a structurally-sound building for the local village to use and enjoy with pride, and for present and future generations who might otherwise never have known about communal bakeries.

Project completed 2005