Jardins du Carmel

Description

Gardens of the former Carmel monastery...

In 1821, the Carmelite nuns acquired the former convent of the Capuchin friars (17th century) to relocate after the troubled period of the Revolution. Major works were then carried out to transform the site into a regular Carmelite convent.

Built on almost 9,000 m² of land, the monastery has several gardens and courtyards with different functions. While some areas are more suited to meditation or are passageways leading to various outbuildings, the larger gardens are mainly used to grow the vegetables, fruit and flowers needed by the community, which lives almost self-sufficiently.

The Carmelites remained here until 1998. When they left, the town of Abbeville acquired the property. Since 2011, it has been dedicated to the knowledge and promotion of the local heritage, and is now open to visitors.

In 2021, the entire property, including the gardens, will be listed as a Monument Historique. At the end of 2022, a heritage diagnosis of the gardens will be commissioned from students of the "Historic Gardens" master's program at the École supérieure d'architecture de Versailles. This work is a precursor to the restoration of the gardens, which will take into account the desire to preserve the historical continuity of vegetable, fruit and flower production.