Grange aux Dîmes in Sosoye

The ‘Grange aux Dîmes’ is a large red-orange vessel set in the green landscape of Sosoye, and is closely linked to the village life of the past. Dating from 1646, it housed the products of the “tithe” imposed on the peasants by the Saint-Gérard de Brogne abbey. The tithe (from the Latin decima, tenth) was a tax levied by the clergy or the nobility, usually corresponding to the tenth part of the harvest.

A subtle harmony emerges from the building shaped by the simplicity of the composition: the resonance between the empty and the full, the symmetry generated by the position of the two twin portals, the contrast between the grey of the limestone and the orange-red of the tiles, all contribute to the beautiful balance of the whole.

A singular detail is the “waiting stones” protruding from the masonry at the corners of the monument. Called “promises” or “if it pleases God”, they symbolise the owners’ desire to enlarge their building one day.

For more information, see our heritage sheet.