Saint-Avit-Sénieur is a village in the purple Périgord located on a promontory formerly called “Mont Dauriac”. its name Saint Avit comes from Avitus, a hermit who lived more than 40 years in a cave. According to legend, Avitus destroyed a pagan temple with his prayers. A source would have sprung following this miracle. It is a resurgence due to the geology of the place. But for the record, the reputation of St Avit attracted crowds of pilgrims, coming to meditate on his tomb on their way to or returning from Santiago de Compostela. This is why its abbey church was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. Today, in the footsteps of Avitus, there is a washhouse, the oldest in Saint-Avit Sénieur. Roger Treneuleresident of the town explains:
It was from 1850, following the law of Napoleon 3, a law on hygiene and public health, that we built washhouses. Fifteen laundries have emerged in the main hamlets of the town. And it was from 1950, when the water supply disappeared, that they disappeared. Women who came to laundries bought washing machines
– Marie-Dominique PRIVE
It is thanks to a small team, the friends of Saint Avit Sénieur that this little heritage, which has disappeared, was saved and restored.
? Listen to Roger Treneule tell you about this washhouse
– Marie Dominique Private