Dignac, medieval garden

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In the village of Dignac, the Romanesque 12th century church stands on the side of a limestone mote. It overlooks a medieval garden which contains a fine collection of some 150 selected in accordance with the capitulary list de Villis of Charlemagne. It is laid out in raised squares surrounded by plessis [chestnut lattices]... Feel free to stroll round !

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The garden of Mary

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The flowers and plants are grown for the liturgical feasts and for decorating the altars : box for Palm Sunday, peonies for Whit Sunday, roses for Assumption, lilies which were highly valued as an ornamental flower in the Middle Ages.

The "simples"

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These plants have medicinal properties. The term « simple » also refers to remedies obtained from a single type of plant. At Dignac, they are planted round the ailments for which they provide relief. Plants which relieve stomach pains [costmary, absinthe], which heal and disinfect [comfrey], which purge [castor-oil plant], which ease fevers and chills [marsh mallow].

The magic herbs

They are called magic because they are either highly toxic [aconite, deadly nightshade, mandrake], or have universal curative powers like panaceas [tame-poison, kitchen sage, angelica].

The industrial plants

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One bed is reserved for plants which produce textiles and dyes [saffron, madder and dyer's broom, woad, flax, hemp] and plants with other uses such as soapwort for its cleaning properties

The kitchen garden

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It brings together :

  • the « potherbes » or herbs for broth, used in the Middle Ages for soups and stews [cabbage, Swiss chard, borage].
  • the aromatic herbs, the condiments, the leguminous plants including, among others, chickpeas, fenugreek and the true mongette (white haricot bean) already known in Abyssinia in 4,000 BC
  • the roots which were eaten at that time [turnip, horseradish, parsnip].
  • the cereals used in gruel, pancakes or bread such as spelt, millet and buckwheat.
  • the cucurbitaceae [pilgrim's gourd, marrow].

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