JARDINS DES SIMPLES - ABBAYE DE FONTENAY

Fontenay Abbey is renewing its ties with the past and in 2022 is offering a new garden of simple plants opposite the abbey church. It brings together medicinal plants used alone, as they are given to us by nature, for their medicinal, tinctorial, condimentary and aromatic virtues. It is an ideal extension to the visit of the large gardens. This garden of simple plants designed by the landscape architect Olivier Damée, is inspired by the botanical and naturalist talent of the Benedictine abbess Hildegarde de Bingen.

Verbena with soothing virtues, anti-inflammatory borage, sedative St. John's wort... Hildegarde de Bingen (1098-1179) said that man is a microcosm in harmony with nature. The soul and the body form a whole and the health of the soul passes by the good health of the body. Whether or not you are attracted to the alternative medicine of Saint Hildegard, you will feel this deep serenity here. This perfect square is the plant counterpart of the architectural cloister, both in its geometric form and in its proportions. It will be inaugurated on June 4 and 5 on the occasion of the "rendez-vous aux jardins" event. Everything is planned, a booklet of visit of the big gardens and the garden of the simple ones guides you.

The cloister, the abbey church, the monks' room, the dormitory are of course sublime elements that cannot be ignored.

At the end of your visit, go to the bookshop. It contains fascinating books and excellent regional products but also the magnificent colored paintings from the Alfred Latour exhibition, which was held in 1921. Alfred Latour, a talented artist, painter, graphic artist and designer, created in 1948 a work of 7 murals inspired by the architecture and the stained glass windows of the abbey. Numerous events are organized each year at Fontenay Abbey: car rallies, classical music concerts, nocturnes, Fantastic Picnic...

A booklet of games for children whets the cultural appetite of 7-12 year olds visiting Fontenay Abbey. They go in search of clues to unmask the culprit, each riddle eliminates a suspect... a thrilling investigation to be carried out with the whole family!

Fontenay Abbey has also been the setting for many films and TV movies, such as Cyrano de Bergerac (1960) and Angélique, Marquise des Anges (1964), to name a few.

So many reasons to discover this sublime, grandiose and rejuvenating place and to taste the beauty and serenity of the garden of the simple. Here, it is not the mountain but the abbey that wins you over!