Chaplains Park and Diorama

Une cathédrale de verdure

In 1889 the Chaplain’s House was built on the foundations of the ancient castle of the Abbot of Cluny of which just the impressive round tower of the 15th century remains.
The closed park was created to welcome pilgrims who were becoming increasingly more numerous since the bicentenary of the Apparitions in 1875. In 1890, two alleys of plane trees were planted
to form a cross and to create a cathedral of greenery. Around 1902, a monumental dome dedicated to the sacred Heart was erected at the intersection of the trees for celebrations.

This space of nature and silence is planted with numerous essences which facilitates a shady, spiritual walk.
The « Diorama » is a work by the artist Georges Serraz. The paintings and scenes in relief, on a human scale, represent the apparitions of Christ, in the 17th century, to the Visitation nun Margaret Mary Alacoque.