CLOÎTRE DES RÉCOLLETS

The cloister of the Récollets, dating from the 13th century and remarkable for its elegance and simplicity, is a small haven of serenity in the heart of the town. Jean-Marie Pelt founded the European Institute of Ecology there in 1972, whose headquarters are still located there. Two gardens have been laid out in partnership with the French Society of Ethnopharmacology: the garden of simple people, a garden of non-toxic medicinal plants used by the monks to treat the sick, and the garden of toxic plants, which displays the dangerous plants used as raw material in the pharmacy to prepare medicines. The French Society of Pharmacology offers free guided tours every fortnight from June to September: information at www.ethnopharmacologia.org.