Cloister yard Saint Mary
Mariaplaats 28
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The foundations of pharmaceutical medicine — Early medieval medicine relied mainly on the knowledge of plants, fruits and fungi. Ath that time, medicine was an empirical science, that is, based on experience. There was no theoretical basis, but experiments were done on a small scale. Doctors were guided by the results of such an experiment. Monasteries engaged in the cultivation of plants with medicinal properties and vegetables. So too here in the cloister yard of St. Mary's. In addition, monasteries paid attention to nutrition; good nutrition was considered a remedy and the foundation of beingin good health. They were not wrong about that!
The cloister yard of St. Mary and its cloister are a remnant of the medieval church of St. Mary. From the Middle Ages onwards, the associated garden was used for growing medicinal plants and herbs. These were grown in four beds. The garden still functions today and is maintained by volunteers. In the garden, the following herbs, trees and flowers flourish:
- Mulberry tree
- Yellow Helmet Flower ("Maria's Golden Earrings")
- Juniper
- Szechuan pepper
- Evening Primrose
- Milk Thistle
- Marigold
- Chamomile
- Poppy
- Monk's juice
- Larkspur
- Lemon balm
- Vintage
- Chicory
- Fennel
- Miracle tree
- Maggie plant
- Bittersweet
- Horseradish
- Wolfberry
- Hawthorn
Which ones do you recognize?
