This themed trail takes you past around ten lime kiln remains, built long ago by the villagers, most likely to rebuild St-Luc after the fires of 1845 and 1858, which devastated much of the village. Witnesses of an ancient know-how, they recall the importance of lime, already used 6,000 years ago by the Egyptians and later by the Romans.
Every year since 2019, valley residents have been bringing these ruins back to life by clearing away the vegetation that gradually covered them. Today, highlighted along the route, they enrich our local cultural heritage.
The role of lime kilns
These were used to bake limestone (not found in St-Luc but in Chandolin), which, after being subjected to very high temperatures (+/- 900°C), was crushed into small pieces that, when in contact with water, dissolved and formed a whitish paste. Like cement today, it was mixed with sand and gravel and used for construction. It was also used as a paint to whitewash facades. You can see this in the Old Village of St-Luc.
| Useful information |
The path begins at Pierre des Sauvages, above the village. To access it, take the Tsarrire trail or the Chlottes trail (via the Grand Bisse). The path is then marked with white diamonds and "Lime Kiln" signs. |
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