A backyard tour of France by Stéphane Marie (Flammarion, 2026) takes you on a stroll by 27 exceptional French gardens all open to the general public. The huge variety is inspiring – from Normandy to Brittany, the Loire Valley and the French Riviera. There are grand formal French parterres with meticulously sculpted topiaries, poetic bohemian nation estates, idyllic and peaceable water gardens and even an unique tropical oasis on the glittering Mediterranean coast. There’s additionally the Priory of Orsan – a surprising medieval backyard within the Loire Valley.
Within the late twentieth century, when reinventing the medieval backyard was in vogue, the Orsan priory was undeniably one of the crucial spectacular examples of those recreations. In the present day it showcases strategies like pleaching and raised wattle beds, a few of which had been forgotten to historical past. Above all, it’s a masterly instance of the architectural use of crops in a manner that’s as modern as it’s medieval.
Within the medieval world, the aesthetics of a backyard had been designed to be appreciated from above, as this human creation was supposed for the eyes of the Almighty. Magnificence inclined people towards temptation and pleasure, in spite of everything, and from there to sin was however a brief step. So it was deemed wiser to avert one’s gaze, or somewhat to not compromise it, and to go away judgement to the divine presence. Within the Renaissance interval, pleasure grew to become much less straitlaced, happily, and other people had been capable of give freer rein to their creativity, generally on the expense of symbolism.
The Orsan priory bridges the centuries in a novel manner, having roughly survived the entire trials and tribulations which have been thrown at it throughout its lengthy and checkered historical past. Whereas lots of its occupants and guests down the centuries introduced destruction with them, others have made magnificent efforts to revive, reinvent, and preserve the placement.
Within the twelfth century, Robert d’Arbrissel, founding father of the royal abbey of Fontevraud, created a brand new Fontevrist basis, the Priory of Notre-Dame d’Orsan, encompassing a chapel, mill, cloister, and quite a few convent buildings. On the finish of his life, desirous to fulfill the rival calls for of the lords of the 2 websites, d’Arbrissel divided up his mortal stays: his physique would go to Fontevraud, whereas his coronary heart would keep at Orsan. To accommodate the relic, the priory erected a marble mausoleum, which, through the years, grew to become a spot of pilgrimage. Based on the rising variety of pilgrims who flocked there, the relic carried out miracles, and Robert d’Arbrissel gained his status for saintliness.
Generously endowed by grateful souls and administered with devoted fervor by successive generations of nuns, the priory prospered for hundreds of years. Then got here wars and revolution. Having survived the Hundred Years’ Conflict, Orsan succumbed to the Wars of Faith. In the course of the French Revolution, the 4 buildings that had been all that remained of the previous priory had been bought off, and the paneling within the parlor vanished amid the stench of manure and the profiteering of native farmers.
In 1926, the imposing principal buildings had been, nonetheless, listed as historic monuments. Seventy years later, when rooster coops and dilapidated farm equipment had been the only occupants of the deserted courtyard neglected by abandoned buildings, architects Patrice Taravella and Sonia Lesot purchased the priory and practically 100 acres (forty hectares) of surrounding woodland and meadows. They renovated the buildings and conceived a priory constructed from crops, skillfully combining the previous with the brand new, the symbolic with the aesthetic.
These days, whether or not considered from above or at floor degree, magnificence is in every single place to be seen on this area designed for the thoughts and physique—a chic tribute to the unique priory. It was classed as a “Jardin Remarquable” in 2004.
With the assistance of the scholarly gardener Gilles Guillot, the 2 architects drew inspiration from medieval illuminations to create twelve enclosed gardens, capturing the essence of the spiritual order’s gardens, without delay symbolic and sensible.
The go to begins with the cloister, which is dedicated to prayer and meditation, in addition to being the very first backyard, the Backyard of Eden. Its grassy paths are flanked by completely clipped hornbeam hedges, whereas drifts of purple alliums and hostas mix softly beside them. And in the midst of all of it flows a river—or somewhat a fountain, with jets symbolizing the 4 rivers that watered Paradise. Squares of vines encompass the spring, symbolizing the wine that quenched the thirst of the nuns and the native individuals, whereas additionally symbolizing the Eucharist.
After this the parterres observe fairly naturally: the primary is planted with spelt, the second with fava beans, with an olive grove close by. The trio of biblical crops that had been used to make bread, wine, and oil thus make sure the well being of our our bodies and the elevation of our souls. Overlooking the squares is a mesh made up of crops, with home windows that to the medieval creativeness may need conjured up niches for the twelve apostles.
The maze tempts guests to linger among the many daffodils and crocuses, in quest of paradise as soon as once more. On the middle, an apple tree, clipped to make a flat cover supported by stakes, offers shade and salvation.
The backyard’s appeal additionally lies in its distinctive ornamental options: elaborate buildings inbuilt situ from chestnut wooden, serving as helps for the crops whereas additionally embellishing the area with their sudden ethereal structure. Pergolas and edgings in wooden, stone, and metallic recall medieval strategies, whereas the hedges are pierced with oval and oeil-de-boeuf home windows that supply recent vistas at each flip. The go to continues with the Jardins de Marie (Mary’s Gardens), planted with roses, violets, and lilies—three flowers which can be emblematic of the Virgin Mary.
Within the massive kitchen backyard, artichokes, Russian cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins flourish in woven wattle raised beds. The greens are mingled with flowers resembling crimson flax, which attracts pollinating bugs. The gardener, Thierry Joubert, is a sworn enemy of pesticides and as an alternative favors handbook strategies and intelligent plant mixtures. One more spotlight is the herb backyard, devoted to medicinal crops. Lastly, we come to the orchards of pears, apples, and small fruits, all topic to a single rule at Orsan: one fruit is for the birds, the second for guests, and the third for the homeowners to make jam.
On the façade of the primary constructing, a big floral coronary heart prompts ideas of the relic of Robert d’Arbrissel. And so, we come full circle.
Since 2017, English style designers Gareth Casey and Cyril Pearon have been the lucky new homeowners of Orsan, respiration new life into the gardens. Impressed by the previous areas, they’ve created new ones with a concentrate on respect for nature and crops, all the time with the purpose of creating the backyard but extra lovely. A tearoom gives connoisseur lunches and teas, and a store sells a variety of gardening instruments, nesting containers, recent fruit juices, and selfmade jams.
Extracted from A Backyard Tour of France by Stéphane Marie (Flammarion, 2026).
