Jardin médiéval de Chamalières-sur-Loire

Made up of 70 different kinds of plants (medicinal plants, fruit plants, flowers), the medieval garden of Chamalières-sur-Loire unfolds according to the original configuration (2018th century) revealed by the archaeological study in January and April. 28. It consists, in particular, of squares and flowerbeds in chestnut plessis containing 18 medicinal plants, and a grass bench under its courtyard, typical elements of the Middle Ages. It also contains 25 fruit plants and 15 flowering plants including XNUMX varieties of roses. The genus of these plants are taken from medieval times.
This garden is also a museum space. All plants are identified. For this purpose, placed at the foot of each, a piece of slate bears the common name and the Latin name, the latter having the advantage of being used internationally, and therefore potentially being understood by foreign visitors.
On the other hand, the garden tells the history of the priory in medieval times. Six sculptures in stone and safety glass present the texts to visitors. The titles are as follows: The rise of the priory – The cloister was a garden – Building a priory – Devastating floods – A monk's life in Chamalières – A place of pilgrimage. An English version is available in the form of a QR code (at the bottom of the text) that simply flashes. Finally, a materials interpretation table installed on the site of the old basin presents a mosaic of the stones used in the construction of the church. It consists of a rough version and a smooth version of each of the stones with the corresponding name. This table creates real interactivity with the church in which the visitor is invited to find the stones of the mosaic.