The Mont Aiguille, object of fantasy

This grassy patch of barely 5 ha is an island of vegetation separated from the rest of the Vercors massif. In Medieval times, it evoked the idea of an earthly paradise, which God made inaccessible to humans because of original sin. The first ascent in 1492 made it possible to discover a beautiful garden, populated with chamois and birds, dotted with flowers, including the white lily, heraldic symbol of French royalty. This was taken to mean that this pristine space had always been promised to the King. Three crosses were erected, visible from below, to show that this plot of land was attached to the kingdom of France and the Christian world.