The project of the Path of the Wise was born during a session of the Council of Elders, made up of 9 women and 9 men aged 60 and over, chosen for their wise experience by the Municipal Councillors. On that day, the subject of reflection was the question of how to bring our republican motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” to life?
The birth of the Path of the Sages
The idea germinated that sprinkle the city with sentences emanating from famous women and men, globally recognized for their wisdom and their humanism, could challenge the awareness of passers-by Borméens as tourists. In order to justify this bold and innovative project in the eyes of the Mayor and his Municipal Council, the decision is taken to combine this route with historical plaques which were to be installed on the city's emblematic monuments. The members of the Council of Elders then determined the route of this path within the medieval village and worked on the support, texts, images and symbols of these plates.
Le butterfly symbol is chosen because it represents joy, beauty, grace and lightness of being. It refers to the power of personal transformation by its strong power of rebirth. Indeed, before being a butterfly, this insect is first an egg, then it becomes a caterpillar before being a chrysalis and finally a butterfly. Each new step symbolizes a change in life, the let go on what you were to appreciate what you have become. As a symbol of wisdom, This animal is a source of inspiration in life. Under his fragile appearances,
The butterfly has a great strength. Indeed, his life is fleeting (life span of a few days to a few weeks) and yet, it spreads joy and good humor by the grace and beauty of its flight, enjoying every moment that nature offers it. So why not do like the butterfly, to approach with confidence everything that life offers us, good or bad experience, because after all it only lasts a moment. These These experiences are not the past the better preparation for the future allowing us to move forward more serenely on the paths of life?
The biography of Alexandra David-Néel
Explorer, musician, icon of female emancipation, Franco-Belgian journalist and writer.
Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David, known asAlexandra David-Neel was born in France on October 24, 1868, the only daughter of a Belgian Catholic mother and a French Protestant and Freemason father. She converted to Buddhism at the age of 21, passionate about the Orient, she learns Sanskrit, Tibetan and follows various teachings. She enters the Royal Conservatory of Brussels to learn the singing and piano. Opera singer, she becomes the first singer at the Hanoi Opera before meeting, in Tunis, her future husband Philippe Néel, chief engineer of the Tunisian railways, whom she married in 1904.
In 1911, she left alone for a journey to India and Tibet doing the promise to her husband to return after 18 months. She does not will return only 14 years later. However, the spouses will remain bound by a rich written correspondence testifying to their mutual attachment. During her journey in the Himalayas, she meets Aphur Yongden who will become his adopted son. In 1912, she was received in audience by the 13th Dalai Lama, then she travels through Tibet, China and Japan and exchanges with many religious people. 1923 to 1924, disguised as a beggar, with her adopted son Aphur Yongden disguised as a monk, they travel more than 2000 km and enter Lhasa, the capital of Tibet forbidden to foreigners, spend 2 months there before being unmasked. On their return to France, Alexandra discovers the notoriety that her adventure has allowed her to acquire and publishes her story. She writes several articles in the feminist newspaper The Sling, founded by journalist and actress Marguerite Durand and participates in meetings of the National Council of French Women. Alexandra David-Néel fought for the economic emancipation of women, which distanced her from feminists who mainly came from the bourgeoisie.
The long period of his life preceding the fame achieved in the world of literature and orientalism constitutes both the source and the determining foundation of a such an extraordinary journey for a woman of her time. Rich with an immense diversity of meetings and teachings, his life was built aroundsocial and political commitments. On the one hand, with its feminist and anarchist positions, on the other hand, philosophical with Freemasonry. Finally, she also experienced a accomplished artistic life during her time in lyrical art. Alexandra David-Néel dies September 8, 1969, at the age of 100. Your ashes and those of his adopted son are scattered in the GangesThe name of Alexandra David-Neel is inseparable from the exploration of Tibet.
Lou Portaou and the alleys of the Middle Ages
“Lou Portaou”, en Provencal, designates the main entrance to the village. In the past, it was the only door allowing the passage of carts. Located higher up than Rue Carnot, theaccès was done, as today, by a ramp. During the periods of seigneurial possessions, especially during the epidemics such as the plague, this place was guarded. This important passage could also serve as a toll for various taxes. It had to be high and wide enough to allow a loaded carriage or a man on horseback to pass through. Upon entering, any visitor found himself under the protection of the ramparts and armed men of the lordship. The wall, 6 to 8 meters high and 1,30 meters wide, surrounded the primitive village.
From this entry, visitors could disperse in the village, organized around narrow streets, built following the tortuous relief and using the rocks as anchor points. The main objective was simple: break the course of the prevailing wind. The mistral, this cold wind coming from the North-West, could be very destructive and blow for several days. smallness of the alleys could also represent an obstacle for an invader, restricting the passage of large numbers of soldiers and thus hindering an attack.
The ground was generally in clay, except for busy alleys or steep slopes. In these cases, the villagers created a “calade”, un paved with local stones, placed on the edge for protect the floor from damage caused by frequent traffic and erosion. Although the flow of runoff water was channeled, the streets also served as dumping grounds. In the very steep streets, they became like this slippery, as evidenced by the name of the Rompi cuou street, where it was easy to slip and get hurt…in the rear end!
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