IGNIS PVGNAX IV – 0% Gas – 0% Electricity – 100% Wood Fire! A Traditional Wood-fired Oven!
A Monumental Design
La Corte Segreta’s traditional Ignis Pvgnax IV wood-fired oven in Casteau is a unique centrepiece that brings together the age-old expertise of master pizzaioli and ingenious modern construction methods. It is undoubtedly one of Belgium’s most impressive and finely engineered wood-fired ovens.
Its name, ‘Ignis Pvgnax’, meaning ‘Combative Fire or Fist of Fire’ in Latin, evokes the strength and resilience of an oven built to stand the test of time while keeping tradition alive.
Weighing more than 7 000 kg, this oven is an impressive creation. Its reinforced-concrete structure ensures exceptional strength. Designed over around two months, it has two lower chambers that can hold a total of up to 2.5 cubic metres of stacked wood at once, providing a long-lasting supply.
Its upper platform can hold up to 2 additional cubic metres of stacked wood, bringing its total capacity to almost 5 cubic metres. Every component is designed to maximise thermal efficiency and durability.
"This project has been close to my heart from the start, not only because it is my own oven, at my home for my pizzeria, but also because the idea of an oven lasting more than 20 years, or even longer — as the oven at my father’s restaurant, Da Salvo, did — gives this work a whole other dimension. Some pizzaiolos, in Italy and around the world, have known and worked with just one oven throughout their lives. When a wood-fired oven is well built, it can be passed down from generation to generation. I like to think this oven will still be used after me."
Crimi Salvatore
Respect for Tradition
Fired exclusively with wood, this oven honours the authenticity of traditional pizza making. At a time when mechanical and assisted solutions — such as gas, electric and automated ovens — dominate, it stays true to traditional craftsmanship. No modern mechanism alters the process here: cooking uses 100 % wood fire and works in harmony with the pizzaiolo.
An Innovative Multi-layer Structure
Reinforced-concrete base: this sturdy foundation supports the entire oven.
Sand and ash: a natural layer that acts as a thermal regulator.
Internal refractory slabs, 170 cm in diameter: these form the base on which the pizzas are placed.
Refractory-concrete walls: each internal wall is designed to withstand thermal stresses. At 21 cm thick, they offer exceptional heat reflection. Compressed aluminium sheets have been added between the walls.
Exceptional thermal insulation: in addition to the 21 cm walls, a special layer of insulating materials more than 35 cm thick surrounds the oven, ensuring incomparable heat retention.
Unrivalled Thermal Performance
The oven is designed never to fall below 100 °C, even after several days without use. For example, when the fire is put out on Sunday evening at 22:00 and lit again on Wednesday afternoon, it retains a residual temperature between 160 °C and 190 °C. This heat retention demonstrates the quality of its insulation.
Dimensions and Technical Specifications
External dome diameter: 2.2 m
Internal diameter: 170 cm
Total weight: 7 430 kg
Smoke outlet: double-walled stainless steel, with an external diameter of 310 mm and a total length of 15 m over a total height of 12 m.
A Symbol of Living Heritage
As wood-fired ovens become increasingly rare because of their complexity, Ignis Pvgnax IV stands as a monument to tradition and the culinary arts. It embodies the spirit of the Maestri Pizzaioli, passing on their expertise with passion.
