Here it is the Yonne on the medieval construction site of Guédelon in the Yonne

The chapel of the stately home

Located in one of the towers of the castle it is the private chapel of the Lord of Guédelon. It is decorated with very beautiful murals.

The color workshop with Charlotte the dyer

It’s at the color studio in the village of Guedelon that Charlotte the dyer uses plants to dye fabrics in a Middle Ages where we like bright colors.

Colors emphasize social classes : The rich and powerful wear bright colors obtained with quality dyes while the poor and humble have faded colors, grayed out because of less expensive vegetable dyes.

Bread making with Max the baker

Bread was a fundamental food in the Middle Ages and there are different kinds of bread depending on the ingredients and flours used.

White bread was more the prerogative of the wealthy. Poorer households had to make do with flour that was less processed or made from less “noble” ingredients.

Wall paintings in the Middle Ages

The main places to paint in the Middle Ages were churches, chapels or cathedrals.

The fresco technique dates back to antiquity. It consists of painting directly on the fresh wall, with a mixture of pigments and glue based on egg and water so that the paint stays on the wall.

Food in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, food was very codified. The Christian religion imposes – on the rich as on the poor – around 150 days of Lent where one must eat lean, that is to say without eggs, dairy or meat, which those who can afford it can replace with fish.

Food differs whether one is noble or peasant. That of the peasants is mainly made up of cereals (rye and oats) in the form of bread, porridge or pasta, vegetable soup, starches, cheese and wine.

The elites eat white bread, many meats from hunting or domesticated animals, fish, fruit, cheese. Spices, rice, bananas, sugar cane brought back from the East by Crusaders and merchants.