Discover the treasures of the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère
Classified as a Historic Monument since 1957, the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, is nestled in the heart of the Vallée de l’Homme. It is a rare testimony to the 14ᵉ century, thanks to an exemplary restoration carried out by its owners since the 1970s.
You now have the magic key to pass through the studded door of the Donjon, Manoir et Jardin de la Salle à Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère ! Gilded stone, square keep, parapet walk, machicolations, battlements, adobe, medieval and Renaissance furnishings, distinctive slate-clad roof structure, lush parklands planted with trees and dotted with roses… Le Donjon, Manoir et Jardin de la Salle is today’s first tourist, cultural and heritage site open to the public à Saint-Léon-sur-Vézèrea charming medieval village in the Black Perigordone of France’s most beautiful villages.
The “Fantastic Animals” permanent exhibition at the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle
Would you like to discover a whole bestiary between dreams and reality? Climb up to the attic and let yourself be carried away by the magic of this exhibition, which will remind you of a famous wizard with a scar.
Is it a real claw? A real horn? The skeleton of an animal that really existed? Confuse the tracks of the living, be curious and observant ! Fantastic animals will fascinate you!
The donjon de la Salle, a defensive master tower
With its imposing appearance and 2 storeys served by a spiral staircase in an adjoining turret , the square tower is a veritable fortified keep .
Dating from the 12th century, its impressive machicolations (accessible) lead to a covered walkway, topped by a 4-sided lauze roof. It’s the framework that will amaze you with its quality and technicality.
Imagine the number of trees needed for its implementation?
You can also visit the manor house – the two buildings are very different, tastefully furnished and full of curious objects!
Garden walk: Périgord trees, flower beds and medicinal herb garden
Stroll through the green spaces of the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle. Around 8,000m2 of beds and perennials, shrubs and trees from our regions, for a romantic stroll.
White, purple and violet, follow the flowers that highlight the beauty of the place. The aromatic garden of medicinal and medieval plants is also the setting for herbalist workshops.
Relax in these gardens, where you can pause to admire the architectural ensemble.
Unusual: wild, medicinal and aromatic plants at the herb shop
Take part in workshops to discover wild, cultivated, medicinal and aromatic plants, accompanied by Catherine Heine, a graduate of the École Lyonnaise des Plantes Médicinales.
Ancestral remedies that are still useful today, plant cultivation, harvesting methods, preservation and drying, and uses, will no longer hold any secrets for you!
In the charming setting of the garden and the herbalist’s shop (a room in the Manoir), you’ll be in perfect condition.
