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Cloître des Orangers, France
The Cloître des Orangers is one of my dream locations. It is clear this lost French garden has been neglected for year. It is very overgrown and wild. Seemingly, the adjacent castle may now be undergoing renovation. Perhaps this overgrown garden may one day return to pampered glory.
The beautiful lost buildings of the Cloître des Orangers
The cloisters
The main area is the cloister; a garden quadrangle flanked with arcades. Marble columns line the arcades. The architecture style is Catalon Gothic. The cloister measures around 25 meters in length by 20 meters in width. The arcades consist of 36 white marble arches, enclosing the small garden.
The marble chapel
A small chapel leads off from the arcades. This features a simple altar and pink marble fluted columns. The vaulted Gothic ceiling above the altar is beautiful azure blue.
The orangery and atrium
A large skylight floods the atrium with bright sunlight. Slender Ionic columns support the ceiling. Scattered around the room are various ceramic pots. Next door is a simple orangery, with the sad remains of dehydrated potted plants.
The intriguing story of the poet
Formerly, The Cloître des Orangers was part of a grand estate. A plaque on the wall suggests it was built in the 14th Century. The engravings indicate they took nine years to build. However, this is where things get interesting. Once upon a time, this ancient building stood many kilometres away.
A famous poet had recently moved from Paris, deciding to settle in the countryside of southern France. Subsequently, he purchased the cloister and set to work on a delicate relocation project. The old cloister was disassembled, transported and reassembled here. This was painstaking work. Twelve oxen-driven carts transported the materials to their new home. This rebuilding process took around three years.
He enjoyed his new life here, and continued publishing his poetry from his orangery. He would sit in the Cloître des Orangers, and cease inspiration from the beautiful French countryside.
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