of the gardens of Cahors · Capitulaire « de Villis » : edict issued by Charlemagne, including a list of 88 plants that should be cultivated in monastery gardens to provide food,

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For more information :

Guided tours of Cahors in the company of a qualifiedguide licensed by the Ministry of Culture.

• City HallBoulevard Gambetta05 65 20 87 87www.mairie-cahors.fr

• Tourist officePlace François-Mitterrand05 65 53 20 65www.tourisme-cahors.comwww.grandsites.midipyrenees.fr

Listen to the storyof the gardens of Cahors

Villes et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire

2005 City of Art and History status

2006 Remarkable Garden status (French Ministry of Culture award)

(2011 Renewal)

The gardens of Cahors benefit from grants given by :

PATRI_jardins secrets_2012_EN_03.qxp 5/01/12 17:37 Page 1

The city's gardens are maintained according to the principles of the

Eco-friendly Gardening Charter, drawn up by the City Parks and

Gardens Department.

Precious organic matter, produced by mowing and pruning, is recycled

here by shredding, mulching or composting. Nature isn't a waste

product, it's a resource.

Plants are carefully chosen for their adaptation to our soil and climate

conditions, as well as for their capacity to resist drought and disease.

Shrubs are pruned according to the "gentle pruning" method, without

spoiling the natural shape of the plant.

Beds are regularly mulched in order to avoid evapotranspiration of

water from the soil, thus maintaining humidity.

Plant growth is not artificially stimulated by massive amounts of

fertiliser, and any products used are of organic origin.

The soil is not turned over or left bare; ground cover plants are used as

much as possible.

Watering is limited to the strict minimum.

Macerations made from plants, alternative methods and Integrated

Biological Protection are systematically used to control pests and

diseases. Toxic products, pesticides and chemical weedkillers are only

used after thorough consultation with competent, independent experts.

� The City of Cahors Eco-friendlyGardening CharterThe city's gardens are maintained according to the principles of the Eco-friendly Gardening Charter, adopted by the City to promote sustainablemethods of gardening.

The Secret Gardens of Cahors,

remarkable gardensIn Cahors, gardens are an essential part of our lifestyleand of the city's attractiveness. Recognised many timesat national and international level, the creativity thatinspires them gave birth in 2002 to an unprecedentedinitiative : the Secret Gardens of Cahors.

Reminders of a past spanning many centuries, the SecretGardens were very soon acknowledged as being acompletely new way, in the world of French horticulture,of treating urban green spaces. Set in the mediaevalquarters of the city and next to the Valentré Bridge, theyenhance a particularly rich heritage and history.Reclaiming spaces which had been unused, uncared for,or abandoned, they enable the public to see the types ofplants grown in the Middle Ages, whilst providing a verycontemporary approach to making the most of urbangarden areas.

More recently, through the intermediary of the CahorsJune Gardens Festival plus other numerous and variedevents, these places have been even further enlivened,giving both local people and visitors the opportunity toreally take possession of them.

Recognised by the award of "Remarkable Garden" statusby the Ministry of Culture, the Secret Gardens havebecome ambassadors in their own right for the city.

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� Banquette : stone, brick or woodstructure filled with earth and covered withturves.

� Basmes : the mediaeval word forperfumes.

� Berceau : tunnel with plants growingover it.

� Capitulaire « de Villis » : edict issuedby Charlemagne, including a list of 88 plantsthat should be cultivated in monasterygardens to provide food, clothing, medicinesand manual labour.

� Clos : cultivated land enclosed byhedges or walls.

� Closelet : small version of the above.

� Courtil : kitchen garden.

� Courtillier : mediaeval word forgardener.

� Enclos : fenced piece of land.

� Gabion : open metalwork framecontaining sand or stones, often used toreinforce banking or riversides. In the MiddleAges, it was a cylinder of branches filled withearth and used for protection in siegewarfare..

� Herbularium ou herbularius :medicinal herb garden.

� Hortus : vegetable garden.

� Plessis : frame made of dried or livingbranches, interwoven to retain the soil forraised beds. To be seen in manuscripts datingfrom the late Middle Ages, their restricted

size should enable them to be cultivatedwithout stepping on the soil.

� Pomarium ou pommeraie : appleorchard.

� Potherbes : plants used in making "laporée", a kind of thick soup of leaves, onionsand bread, which was simmered for a longtime in a cauldron. Numerous recipes for thisappear in the "Mesnagier de Paris" (1394), atreatise on culinary economy (Mrs. Beetonfor the Middle Ages).

� Préau : raised bench covered with grass(now usually means a partially-coveredexterior space or courtyard).

� Vergier, virgultum, viridarium :orchard.

� Glossary of French terms used on information panels

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1 - The Garden of InebriationAllées des Soupirs

Right beside the Valentré Bridge (14th C.),

the iconic monument of Cahors, this garden

planted with vines makes reference to Cahors

Wine and its principal grape variety, the

Malbec. This is the start of the Secret Gardens

itinerary.

2 - The Cordeliers' Enclosed GardenRue Wilson, outside the Gambetta

School chapel.

Franciscan monks of the order of St. Francis

of Assisi, or Cordeliers as they were often

known in France, had their monastery nearby.

Here, flowers and vegetables coexist in

perfect harmony in five raised beds made of

chestnut withes. Look up and admire the

tower of the former Jesuit college built in the

17th C.

3 - The Issala benchIntersection of the rue Bergougnioux

and the rue Nationale

Symbolising a spot in which to rest a while,

this zone of planting located in the mediaeval

high street serves as a link in the chain of

Secret Gardens. The large mediaeval house

close by belonged to the Issala family, rich

members of the legal profession.

4 - The Lastié GardenPlace Saint-Urcisse

Symbolising a raised garden, this planting is

in honour of Pierre Lastié, an emissary sent

by the Consuls of the city to Avignon, to Pope

John XXII (who was born in Cahors).

5 - The Biblical GardenEast end of St. Urcisse church

The main plant species mentioned in the Old

and New Testaments are present here:

cypress, fig, pomegranate, olive, rose…

6 - The Spice SquarePlace Saint-James

Spices aroused greed and all kinds of

fantasies in the Middle Ages. In this square

stands the "dog's head" fountain, made in

1992 by Jean-Luc Bertrand, a stone-carver

from Cahors.

7 - The Moorish GardenRue du Petit-Mot

Arabian in inspiration, this haven of greenery

alludes to the Saracen occupation of the South

of France. It is composed of three small patios

luxuriantly planted with brightly-coloured,

highly-perfumed flowers.

� The Secret Gardens(Re)visit the 25 Secret Gardens and find out about the concept of themediaeval garden, its herbs and superstitions. Using the map in the booklet,start from the Valentré Bridge and just follow the itinerary marked out onthe ground by acanthus-leaf plaques leading you into the heart of the city.This booklet also gives you food for thought about the four Gardens ofKnowledge, plus the city's two public parks.

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Square JouvenelAllées Fénelon

Previously known as the "Botanical Gardens", this enclosed square

echoes the style of the parks created by Baron Haussmann in Paris

during the second half of the 19th C., bringing together plants and

statuary. Here, the centre of this garden shaded by trees is occupied by

a water feature overlooked by a large rock, astride which sits a statue

of Neptune by Vital-Gabriel Dubray. Originally, there was a grotto

behind the rock; and inside it, visitors would once have found an

aquarium, but this has now disappeared. Wrought-iron grilles mark the

entrance to the square, guarded by two statues (sculptor Dominique

Molknecht, 1844) of Marshals of the Empire under Napoleon

Bonaparte: Joachim Murat and Jean-Baptiste Bessières, both born in

the Lot. Two cast-iron urns in the antique style complete the decor.

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8 - The Monks' Kitchen GardenCourtyard of the Archdeacon's House

This garden is formed of raised beds retained

by woven chestnut withes and planted with

the vegetables eaten in the Middle Ages, or

"potherbs": nettles, orache (ancestor of

spinach), rocket, palm-leaved cabbage

(resembling a palm tree, it was eaten when

frosted), marigolds, fennel, cardoons

(ancestor of the artichoke)… Stachys, a non-

edible plant with downy leaves, protected the

garden from evil spells.

9 - The "Herbularius" or MedicinalHerb Garden

East end of the Cathedral of St. Etienne

The six large raised beds surrounded by

woven chestnut withes contain medicinal

plants, known as "simples" because each one

cured a specific malady. Six types of illness

are represented: fevers, abdominal pains,

women's diseases, trauma (wounds, bruises),

poisoning, and digestive troubles (purges).

10 - The Flower GardenEast end of the Cathedral of St. Etienne

On the Rue Foch side, flowers for decorating

altars are grown in three large raised beds.

The first, with white and blue blossoms, pays

homage to the Virgin Mary, the second, with

deep red, refers to Christ's suffering, the third,

with gold and yellow, symbolises the Mystery

of the Resurrection.

11 - The Clément-Marot FountainPlace Champollion

This neo-Renaissance fountain commemorates

Clément Marot, a humanist poet born in

Cahors and one of the first to write sonnets in

French. At the foot of the monument are two

small beds planted in a white and blue scheme

echoing the colours of the mosaic

surrounding the bust of the poet.

12 - The Ladies', or the Benedictines'Enclosed Garden

Square Olivier-de-Magny

In the Daurade quarter, this garden is

dedicated to the Ladies of Cahors, in

reference to the former Benedictine convent

(destroyed after the Revolution) which was

situated here. The fence is composed of

woven twigs of living osier, and the oldest

plane trees in Cahors (almost 200 yrs. old)

provide shade.

13 - The Chapels of FragrancesSquare Olivier-de-Magny

Set within the previous garden, each of the

flower beds in a metal container is devoted to

one of the eight families of perfumes: the

hesperides (highly volatile essential oils

obtained from citrus species), herbal (scents

of sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, anise…),

flowery notes (linked to flowers), green or

ferny notes (scents of grass, moss, leaves..),

fruity notes (fruit fragrances: raspberry, pear,

peach, blackberry…), spicy notes (clove,

cinnamon, nutmeg…), woody notes (warm

scents such as sandalwood, cedar and

patchouli), oriental or balsamic notes

(oriental perfumes, a mixture of warmth,

sensuality, powdery or vanilla scents). The

three other beds are given over to the Cahors

violet, mints and scented geraniums.

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Parc TassartRue Emile-Zola, behind the Cahors Henri-Martin Museum

Formerly the garden of the 19th C. residence of the Bishops who had

signed up to the clerical reforms of the Revolution, it became a public

park in 1906. Over the years, it became a work of art in which sculpture

and architecture played an important rôle, and in which the water

feature constituted one of the indispensable accessories of its status as

public park. Now, many of the elements have disappeared (small

stream which was home to swans, an aviary,…) as have most of the

sculptures, victims of vandalism. The only remaining one is a work by

the sculptor Paul Niclausse, "the Orphan Girl", from 1913. However,

we can still admire some splendid trees introduced into France from the

end of the 18th C. onwards: sequoia Gigantea and magnolia

Grandiflora from America, magnolia Soulangea from Japan. Over the

last few years, some fine collection trees have also been introduced:

pinus Bungeana Napoleon (with plane-tree type bark) from China;

taxodium Dicichum (Louisiana bald cypress)… contributing to

maintaining this park as a place of study and contemplation.

� Parks and public gardensHome to trees from distant countries and embellished with variedstatuary, two recently-renovated public gardens illustrate how the city'sappearance was improved in the 19th C.

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14 - The Heavenly GardenCathedral Cloister

The cloister garden makes reference to the

Virgin Mary through the colours used: blue

(lavender) and white (lily).

15 - The Garden of the Witch and theDragon

Rue du Château-du-Roi

This enclosed garden is composed of plants

linked to witchcraft. A black amoeba, symbol

of evil, is marked out on the ground with

white gravel.

16 - The Herbarium of the GrossiaHospital

Rue de Fouilhac

This garden evokes the "Doctrine of (Plant)

Signatures" developed in Renaissance times

by the Swiss alchemist and doctor Paracelsus,

who theorised that plants could be used to

treat the parts of the body which they

resembled. For instance, the grape vine

producing red wine could treat diseases of the

blood. The name of this garden comes from

the foundation of a hospital close by, at the

end of the 13th C., by the last will and

testament of a merchant, Géraud Gros.

17 - The Caorsins CourtyardIlôt Fouilhac

Surrounded by mediaeval buildings, this

Italian-inspired garden makes reference to the

Lombardy bankers of the Middle Ages. The

Caorsins, who learned their practices from

them, were rich merchants and moneylenders

from Quercy in the 12th - 14th C., doing

business internationally. Around the fountain

created by Michel Zachariou, a sculptor from

the Lot, wisteria and cypress flourish, along

with a plant wall of periwinkle, ivy,

trachelium and geraniums.

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18 - The Santiago GardenSt. Barthélémy Church,

Boulevard Gambetta side

Cahors is on the Via Podiensis, one of the

major mediaeval pilgrim ways to Santiago de

Compostela, linking Le Puy en Velay to

Roncevaux. This garden evokes the arid

landscapes crossed by the pilgrims.

19 - The Pilgrims' GardenSt. Barthélémy Church,

Boulevard Gambetta side

This garden for meditation, with sweet scents

of sage, mint, vervain and violet, is here for

any passing pilgrim to enjoy.

20 - The Crusaders' Little EnclosedGarden

Place Lucterius

This garden with its military inspiration lies at

the foot of the St. Jean tower and the

Barbican. The plants are species which were

brought back by returning Crusaders: damask

roses, myrtle, agapanthus and peach.

21 - The Poor Clares' Little EnclosedGarden

Rue du Pape-Jean-XXII

Located not far from the former Poor Clares'

convent, this garden, contemporary in style but

mediaeval in inspiration, is enclosed by gabions

full of pebbles and is planted in shades of orange,

recalling the saffron once grown by the nuns.

22 - The Garden of PassagePlace Lafayette

This garden, forming a passage from the

upper to the lower town (hence the name), is

the largest of the Secret Gardens. Opened to

the public in 2006, it occupies the unused area

named after Les Mobiles (contingents of

volunteer soldiers in the 1870-71 Franco-

Prussian war) situated on the steep slope

between the Place Lafayette and the banks of

the Lot. The landscape architects Patrick

Genty and Bruno Marmiroli were given the

task of creating, on this unpromising terrain, a

contemporary park completely integrated into

a mediaeval environment, distinctively

marked by the presence of the church of St.

Barthélémy and the palace of Pope John

XXII. Composed of four successive terraces,

it enables visitors to walk from the upper

town to the banks of the Lot.

Each terrace forms a garden in itself; in order

from top to bottom:

• The little enclosure of courtly love (a place

for lovers to pause)

• The fine ladies' chess board (old varieties of rose)

• The fountain garden (managed in an eco-

friendly manner in partnership with the Gaz

de France foundation)

• The gardeners' tunnel.

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2 - The five sensesAllées des Soupirs

In the context of the "ville handicap"

charter, this garden, designed in

collaboration with the associations

concerned, consists of five raised

beds, one for each of the senses:

touch (soft or spiny plant textures),

sight (beautiful colours), smell

(various scents), taste (small fruits),

and hearing (the rustling of grasses).

There are Braille information

plaques.

3 - Display Garden FleuroselectAllées des Soupirs

Fleuroselect is an European

organisation which brings together

all the creators of new flower

varieties. Every year, this association

awards gold medals to the plants

which have brought "something

extra" to horticulture. These plants

are presented in thirty-six display

gardens scattered all over the world,

six of which are in France: Paris,

Lyon, Dijon, Orléans, Nantes and

Cahors.

4 - RodjiAuditorium courtyard

This inaccessible garden intended for

contemplation is linked to the

Japanese tea ceremony. The art of

gardening in Japan consists of

contrasting the fragility of supple

elements such as reeds with the

solidity of materials such as bamboo.

1 - PeaceAllées des Soupirs

Peace usually means a state of calm or

tranquillity; an absence of trouble or

agitation. This white garden is dominated by

three metal trees, which support red rose

bushes, symbol of ephemeral peace.

� The Gardens of KnowledgeLocated in the western part of the city, the fourGardens of Knowledge are free creationsaround a given theme.


23 - The Pedlar's PathContinuation of the previous garden,

along the river bank

"Sentinel" containers mark out the path which

follows the Lot.

24 - The "Capitulaire de Villis" (seeglossary)

Promenade de Coty

This garden, which was developed from the

orchard planted in 2000, is divided into eight

"garden rooms" devoted to the different plants

mentioned in the Capitulaire de Villis:

• the garden of the Creation (the first plants

mentioned in the Bible: apple tree, palm tree,

pomegranate..)

• the herbarium (medicinal plants)

• the orchard (pear, fig, hazelnut...)

• the garden of Mary (white flowers for

decorating altars)

• the weavers' garden (dye plants)

• the kitchen garden

• the fountain garden (there is a resurgent

stream close by)

• the pomarium (collection of apple-trees).

25 - The Fairy Mélusine's GardenSquare Philippe-Gaubert

The story of the fairy Mélusine was one of the

most widely-diffused tales of the Middle

Ages. A character from a book by Jean

d'Arras in 1392, the fairy Mélusine, always

shown dressed in white, shape-shifted into a

snake on certain occasions. The planting of

this garden is white, using roses and grasses.

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� The Secret Gardens beyond Cahors

Bitche (Moselle)Place des Lilas

Created in 2007, this garden is the fruit of collaboration between

the parks and gardens departments of Cahors and Bitche. It is

made up of three garden rooms: the kitchen garden, the garden of

Mary, and the garden of beautiful flowers.

Troyes (Aube)

The House of Tools and Working People's Ideas

Created in 2006, in collaboration with the first graduates of the

Compagnons du Tour de France (Guild of Master Craftsmen)

gardeners' training scheme, this garden, which is remodelled each year,

is based on the Monks' Kitchen Garden in Cahors.

The Secret Gardens concept has been exported to two otherFrench towns.

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� The SecretGardens

1 - The Garden of InebriationAllées des Soupirs

2 - The Cordeliers' Enclosed GardenRue Wilson, outside the Gambetta School

chapel

3 - The Issala benchIntersection of the rue Bergougnioux and

the rue Nationale

4 - The Lastié GardenPlace Saint-Urcisse

5 - The Biblical GardenEast end of St. Urcisse church

6 - The Spice SquarePlace Saint-James

7 - The Moorish GardenRue du Petit-Mot

8 - The Monks' Kitchen GardenCourtyard of the Archdeacon's House

9 - The "Herbularius" or MedicinalHerb GardenEast end of the Cathedral of St. Etienne

10 - The Flower GardenEast end of the Cathedral of St. Etienne

11 - The Clément Marot FountainPlace Champollion

12 - The Ladies', or the Benedictines'Enclosed GardenSquare Olivier-de-Magny

13 - The Chapels of FragrancesSquare Olivier-de-Magny

14 - The Heavenly GardenCloître de la cathédrale

15 - The Garden of the Witch and theDragonRue du Château-du-Roi

16 - The Herbarium of the GrossiaHospitalRue de Fouilhac

17 - The Caorsins CourtyardIlôt Fouilhac

18 - The Santiago GardenSt. Barthélémy Church, Boulevard

Gambetta side

19 - The Pilgrims' GardenSt. Barthélémy Church, Boulevard

Gambetta side

20 - The Crusaders' Little EnclosedGardenPlace Lucterius

21 - The Poor Clares' Little EnclosedGarden Rue du Pape-Jean-XXII

22 - The Garden of PassagePlace Lafayette

23 - The Pedlar's PathContinuation of the previous garden,

along the river bank

24 - The "Capitulaire de Villis" (seeglossary)Promenade de Coty

25 - The Fairy Mélusine's GardenSquare Philippe-Gaubert

� The Gardens ofKnowledge

1 - PeaceAllées des Soupirs

2 - The five sensesAllées des Soupirs

3 - Display Garden FleuroselectAllées des Soupirs

4 - RodjiAuditorium courtyard

� Parks and publicgardens

1 - Square JouvenelAllées Fénelon

2 - Park TassartRue Emile-Zola, behind the Cahors

Henri-Martin Museum

Viewpoint


Documents

of the gardens of Cahors · Capitulaire « de Villis » : edict issued by Charlemagne, including a list of 88 plants that should be cultivated in monastery gardens to provide food,