Dug by men from the XIIth century onwards to extract the stone, “the tuffeau” destined for building, The Cave aux Moines was used as far back as the beginning
of the XXth century to cultivate mushrooms.
During the tour, The Cave aux Moines takes the visitor back in time explaining and showing :
The troglodyte way of life :
The beginning of the cave and the first metres of the galleries were used by people to live; that kind of living was called the “troglodytes”. Here people and animals lived as a community.
The story of “tuffeau”
In a special gallery we explain how these galleries were dug by men for the extraction
of the stone “the tuffeau”, which was used for all the construction (castles, houses, cathedrals, …)
The snails reproduce :
Snails are one of the specialities of our restaurant, so we found it interesting to present these in a special room where you can find out all about them, how they live, and reproduce…
Mushroom cultivation :
We start the presentation with a small museum where we explain the origin of mushroom cultivation in the cave. Then we continue in the galleries where we can see the cultivation today with different kinds of mushroom (mushroom of Paris), the oyster mushroom (pleurote), the blue stam (pied bleu) and the shi-také (asian mushroom).
The cellar :
After the visit you will be welcome in the cellar of The Cave aux moines to a tasting
of Loire Valley wines with possibility to buy in the Cave.
Visit of The Cave aux Moines
Mid-June to mid-September
Every day from 10 a.m to 18.30 p.m
Mid-Septembre to mid-June
Saturday, sunday, week and feast-days
Groups
Every day all year long with reservation
Price
Adults 6,50 € – Children from 7 to 14 years 3,90€
Groups 5,90€ – School (over 14 years) and Students 4,50€