Paris1972-Versailles2003

After wandering thru Bourges and seeing so much beauty we came to a garden while passing by the museum of best craftsmen of France and just behind the Cathedral St Stephens (St Etienne). This was a welcome sight after so much walk and the history of it is nice. Let me update with new text a bit more on the Bishop’s garden or Jardin de l’Archevêché ,(my sons below ) For info, this is Bourges in the Cher dept 18 of the Centre Val de Loire region of my belle France.

The Palais Archiépiscopal from the 17C, former city/town hall, and its French-style garden ,the Bishop’s garden is a nice place to walk by and soak in on the history and architecture available at Bourges. Originally, this small garden was inside the medieval town, on the edge of the ramparts. It was effectively enlarged by filling in the ditches located to the North, and enclosing in walls ,the ditch and the escarpment which joined the southern end of the Church Notre-Dame-de-Salles to the Porte de Bourbonnoux. But it was an area with fortifications and it depended on the royal domain, hence the request that will be made to king Louis XIV in 1681 which gives his agreement with the condition, the construction of a wall of 4 meters high above the ground floor and about 2 meters thick in its foundation, with the additional space for a small parapet to allow the passage of patrols in wartime. Elementary indeed!

In 1686, it will be close in one enclosure, the elms which had been planted in 1654, Finally, this land is donated by the city. The wall is then made of La Celle stone, the height is about 5 meters. It was in 1729 after some time, that this space was landscaped. It was in 1793 that the episcopal palace became the property of the department and the garden was then a public walk.  The then garden of the City/Town Hall or Bishops’ garden, with an area of 3 hectares, is beautifully flowered in all seasons. It includes a part called “à la française” (French style), and the other, with big trees and a bandstand is called “à l’anglaise” (English style). You will notice the Obelisk, at the bottom, near the monumental gates recovered from the Porte d’Auron. An additional door is built rue des Hémerettes, the gate coming from the Porte Saint-Michel, it is the only door which opens outside the City walls, Stendhal, in his book Mémoires d’un Touriste or Memoirs of a Tourist will tell of his strolls in this garden when he came to Berry in 1837, The garden of the City/Town Hall contains the busts of two locals, Bourdaloue and Sigaud de Laffond. The first pays homage to the inventor preacher of the night vase which bears his name and the second character is unfairly little known, he is the author of treatises on “the art of childbirth”, women owe him a lot. The 4 vases of Cugnot, called the four seasons are works dating from 1880, they had been manufactured by Maison Christofle, they are in galvanic bronze, while the magnificent cherubs, above the dome, are in real bronze.

Legend has it that in his current design the garden was signed by the great landscaper André Le Nôtre. This is an implausible hypothesis since Le Nôtre, to whom we owe the parterres of Vaux le Vicomte and those of Versailles died in 1700, and the Bourges garden in its current structure was only completed 30 years later. However, the classicism of the garden is undoubtedly the work of one of the students of Le Nôtre, with its square and aligned flowerbeds.

The city of Bourges on the garden :https://www.ville-bourges.fr/site/jardin-hotel-ville

The Bourges tourist office on the garden :https://www.bourgesberrytourisme.com/destination-bourges/best-of/des-jardins-pour-flaner/

There you folks, a nice walk indeed and pleasant surrounded by such beautiful architecture and historical monuments is tops. Welcome to the Jardin de l’Archevêché or Bishop’s garden of Bourges, worth the detour me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

These are monuments for all mankind regardless of your views, and works of art to be admire and maintained. The foundation of modern societies and a huge chunk of our history. The Cathedrals are an architectural marvel of mankind and we are lucky to have several. I have written on Bourges before, but feel another post with older new pictures not yet in my blog merits it, The Saint Stephen Cathedral or Cathédrale Saint Etienne is a must to visit me think. We were impressed by it and return again and again. Hope you enjoy this additional post on the cathedral as I.

The City of Bourges is the prefecture of the department of the Cher no.18 in the region of Centre Val de Loire, and in my belle France. It is also the historic capital of Berry, province of the Ancien Régime (monarchies) corresponding approximately to the current departments of Indre and Cher.

This huge stone Saint Stephen’s Cathedral stands out for nearly 50 km around like a beacon in the horizon of the Berry countryside with nearly 120 meters long, you absolutely must not miss the striking panorama offered by the tour du Beurre or butter tower. But be careful, it is nearly 400 steps that you will have to climb to get there. But let the less adventurous be reassured, one of the other secrets of the cathedral is offered to you under your feet, you can access the Romanesque crypt where is stored, among other things, the marble recumbent statue of Duke Jean de Berry,

Bourges, was the ancient Roman city of Avaricum, one of the first Christian communities in Gaul. The cathedral, dedicated to the first Christian martyr Saint Stephen, has occupied the site of a place of worship since the 3C. Built between the end of the 12C and the end of the 13C, admirable for its proportions and the unity of its design, it is one of the great masterpieces of Gothic art. Its tympanum, sculptures and stained glass windows are particularly remarkable. Beyond its architectural beauty, it testifies to the power of Christianity in medieval France.

The most outstanding features of the St Stephen’s Cathedral are the perspective of the side walls and the unity of the interior space. The sculptures at the north and south doors, at the tympanum of the portal of the Last Judgment (in the center of the west facade), like the sculpted remains of the rood screen, constitute exceptional examples of Gothic art. The following centuries brought their marks to the cathedral ; the stained glass windows thus constitute a veritable encyclopedia of this art for the 14-16C, The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne of Bourges was included on the UNESCO National Heritage List in 1992 under the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Natural and Cultural Heritage under the name “Cathedrale de Bourges”. Awesome indeed !

The official St Stephen Cathedral of Bourges :https://www.bourges-cathedrale.fr/en/

The Friends of the Cathedral of Bourges :https://www.amis-cathedrale-bourges.com/pr%C3%A9sentation-globale/

The Friends of the grand orgue (organ) of the Cathedral :https://www.grandorguebourges.org/grand-orgue-bourges.php

The Bourges tourist office on the Cathedral :https://www.bourgesberrytourisme.com/destination-bourges/best-of/la-cathedrale-saint-etienne/

The City of Bourges on the Cathedral :https://www.ville-bourges.fr/site/cathedrale

There you go folks, this is a huge monument with so many details I will be lost myself trying to pick on each, rather give you a overall taste, and do come in to see , is a must in my belle France. The Cathédrale Saint Etienne or St Stephen is a work of heaven on earth words cannot describe it, you need to see it and behold. Recommended. And again ,hope you enjoy the post on this magnificent cathedral as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!