habitat rupestre.pdf - Società Friulana di Archeologia

CAVE-DWELLING ITINERARIES IN THE BAS-VENDÖMOISCRHIMA-CINP projectFig. 10 Trôo, Jacob’s well or the «talking well»Fig. 11 Trôo, Yuccas cave-dwelingFig. 12 Trôo, one entry from the network of underground galleries: «theCaforts».Enhancement of the cave dwellings in the Bas VendômoishillsidesGiven the extent of the troglodytic phenomenon in the BasVendômois region and, above all, the perpetuation of theassociated activities, we propose theming the various cavedwellingitineraries.By basing ourselves on their diversity, we propose a representativeunderground and semi-underground cave-dwellingitinerary covering Trôo, Les Roches l’Evêque and Lavardin.In this sense, Trôo is the capital of troglodytism. Onits southern hillside, overlooking the river Loir from a heightof over 60 m, Trôo presents a remarkable collection of cavedwellings over three different levels that are perfectly adaptedto its geomorphology.Located on the intersection of several communications axesrunning east-west between Blois and Le Mans and northsouthbetween Chartres and Tours, the Trôo site has existedsince the Gallo-Roman era. Favoured by its clement climate,resulting from its orientation and the presence of several watersources, the town continued to develop throughout theMiddle Ages.Most of the caves were dug out during the 11th and 12thcenturies and the organisation of this habitat illustrates thesocial structure that existed as a certain number of shared installations,such as the wells, the baker’s oven and the chapelcan still be seen.“Le puits qui parle” (the talking well) otherwise known asJacob’s well, dug out of the rock over a depth of 45 m: itsremarkable echo fuelled imagination and was the sourceof many legends in the region. Located in the upper part ofTrôo, it served those living there right up to 1972.Although there are no more weaving workshops in Trôo,serge weaving had been a local activity in the past. The Amisde Trôo, an association created to save and enhance this heritage,is now using this former workshop to show exhibitionsconcerning various aspects of the valley’s history and anthropisation,as well as exhibitions on its fauna and flora.No village can exist without water, or without a baker. The“fournil du boulanger”, which drew its water next to the StGabriel spring, has been rebuilt by the Amis de Trôo.The existence of large quarries, also known as caforts, goesback to the Gallo-Roman era. Its galleries, stacked over severallevels descend to over 300 m below the rock.The spaces freed by the quarrymen served as undergroundrefuges during invasions or wars between feudal lords.This network has a particularly large number of galleries,all given names evoking the activities that took place, suchas the “Petit Dansoué” (small ballroom), the “Grand Dansoué”(large ballroom), the “Jeu de Boules” (bowling alley),the “Bourse” (trading market”, the “Grenier au Sel” (saltstorehouse) and the “Quartier du Roi” (the king’s quarters).These have now become settings for gatherings and eventsconcerning local traditions.The grape pressing caves bear witness to the wine productionactivity which is particularly important in this locality,The white wine from Trôo had a proud reputation as early asthe reign of King Henri IV. However, most of the vines weredecimated by phylloxera in 1881.The “cave du vigneron” (winegrower’s cellar) that had belongedto a family of winegrowers up to 1996 is now an ex-volumeRicerca_OK_2012-11-15.indd 144 16/11/2012 15:02:34