Guided tour of Saint-Même-les-Carrières | Saint Même Patrimoine

Discover the exceptional heritage of Saint Même les Carrières: the communal oven, the remains of the castle, the church, the wash-house...not forgetting the quarries presented and commented on from the esplanade!
The village flourished with the extraction of St Même stone, reputed to harden over time and resist frost and sea air. As early as the 12th century, builders used it to construct religious buildings.
In the 17th century, the quality of this stone was recognized throughout the region and was used to build the old town of Cape Town in South Africa.
It is also said that the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York is made of Saint-Même stone! The quarry played an important role in the region in the 19th century, after the phylloxera crisis, when winegrowers turned to quarrying. By 1880, over 500 people were working there. The history of the
quarries from the esplanade. The tour also includes a visit to the kiln, the old castle, the church and the washhouse.