Their story.
Perched on Castellas Hill, this wooden dovecote echoes a history that stretches back much further. It serves as a reminder of the feudal castle of Le Luc, once known to locals as the “Pigeonnier des Mascs” or “des Masques,” which stood on this very hill. Le Castellas is the historic heart of Old Le Luc. A fortress belonging to the Count of Provence is mentioned there as early as the 12th century. The site was gradually fortified and occupied over the centuries. At the summit stood the seigneurial castle, the last remnants of which unfortunately disappeared in 1971 during construction work related to the A8 highway.
The name “Pigeonnier des Macs” is itself shrouded in mystery. According to local lore recorded by the City of Le Luc, the castle ruins were given this name because of the nocturnal birds that came to nest in the old attics. The wooden dovecote that stands there today, however, dates from a more recent era. With its elevated structure, openings, and features designed for birds, it serves as a new landmark on the site. Above all, it helps to revive, in a different form, the memory of a place whose ancient architecture has almost entirely disappeared.
- A castle turned “dovecote”: After the seigneurial castle was abandoned, the ruins retained a special place in popular memory. The nickname “Pigeonnier des Masques” took hold even as the building had become nothing more than a silhouette of the past.
- A castle sacrificed for the highway: The last remnants of the castle disappeared in 1971 during the construction of the A8 highway. A significant part of Castellas’s former landscape was thus erased to make way for this new transportation route.
- A heritage site reborn: Today, Castellas is the subject of renewed interest as a heritage site. A project led by the Amicale Culturelle du Castellas envisions, in particular, a contemporary structure evoking the old castle, featuring a gate, a walkway, and a dovecote. The goal is not to rebuild the castle, but to make its memory visible in the landscape.
