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.
Since 2019, local inhabitants have been bringing these ruins back to life by clearing away the vegetation that was slowly covering them. Today, highlighted along the trail, they enrich our local cultural heritage.
The path begins at the Pierre des Sauvages, above the village. To get there, take the Tsarrire trail or the Chlottes trail (via the Grand Bisse). Then simply follow the white diamonds and the “Lime Kiln” signs.
The role of lime kilns
They were used to fire limestone (not found in St-Luc, but in Chandolin). After being heated to very high temperatures (around 900°C), the limestone was crushed into small pieces which, when in contact with water, dissolved to form a whitish paste. This product, called lime, was mixed with sand and gravel and used as a binder — much like cement today. It was also applied as whitewash on façades, as you can still see in the old village of St-Luc.
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The trail starts at the Pierre des Sauvages, above the village. To get there, take the Tsarrire path or the Chlottes path (via the Grand Bisse). The trail is then marked with white diamonds and “Fours à Chaux” (Lime Kiln) signs. |
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