Tilleul des Monts de Vigeville

Vigeville

The lime tree of Les Monts grows at Vigeville, on the watershed between the Cher basin and the Creuse basin. Tradition holds that it was planted around 1600 on the initiative of Henri IV's minister, Sully, to mark the peace restored after the Wars of Religion. These lime trees are said to have marked the Catholic villages that had remained loyal to the king. Yet no text by Sully orders these plantings, and the date remains that of tradition. The Archives départementales de la Creuse call it ‘one of the few Creuse specimens of the trees known as Sully trees’. It was listed in 1927 under the legislation on natural sites and monuments of artistic character, at the same time as the Pierres Jaumâtres of Toulx-Sainte-Croix. A letter from the prefect's office to the newspaper La Petite Gironde already praised this ‘centuries-old’ lime tree. A 19th-century photograph, by Alphonse de Nussac, preserves its image.

Archives départementales de la Creuse — Le Tilleul des Monts à Vigeville ↗

Getting there: In the hamlet of Les Monts, commune of Vigeville, east of Aubusson; the tree stands in the open and can be seen freely (coordinates of the hamlet; position of the tree to be confirmed on site)

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound