Mérigny

The estate of Plaincourault dates back to the 12th century. It consisted of a castle and its outbuildings, a dovecote, a chapel and its graveyard. The estate was the property of the Order of the Hospitallers of Saint-John-of-Jerusalem and later of the Order of the Knights of Malta. It became a commandery. The castle was razed in 1625 and rebuilt in the 19th century. Only the chapel has remained practically intact - the spire of the tower is missing. The chapel was reserved for the members of the Order until the 14th century, when it became a parish church. It ceased to be a place of worship in the late 18th century.

THE WALL PAINTINGS:

1) 12th- and 13th-century paintings:

The temptation of Adam and Eve: at the centre, the Tree of Kowledge and the serpent. Some have seen in this tree of kowledge the representation of hallucinogenic agarics. In fact, this stylized representation of the tree of knowledge is relatively common in Romanesque wall paintings.

2) 14th-century paintings: