Visitor Information
Le Jardin de Alchimiste,
Mas de la Brune,
13810 Eygalières
e-mail: infos@jardin-alchimiste.com
www.jardin-alchimiste.com
Pure Alchemy in Les Alpilles
Close to the village of Eygalières in the foothills of les Alpilles, a stone's throw from the home of Nostradamus, a remarkable garden has been created which draws its inspiration from medieval alchemy. We discover le Jardin de l'Alchimiste.
'If you have the time, there is a very special garden you really should go and see before you leave the area - it's in the grounds of a really good hotel. Here, I'll write it down for you ..' I glance at the name on the card which my host in Arles hands to me: ' le Jardin de l'Alchimiste, Mas de la Brune, Eygalières '. Thanking her, I promise faithfully to take a look, shake her hand one final time and descend the hotel steps towards the wilting interior heat of the car. Once finally out of the maze-like streets of the old city I head out through Fontvieille and take the turn-off for Paradou, Maussane and les Alpilles. The route, which winds among the wild collines, olive groves and noble vineyards below Les Baux, seems somehow appropriate to the planned visit.
On arrival, outward appearances don't give too much away. This only serves to heighten the sense of intrigue, yet inside first impressions are more welcoming than mysterious. Distinctly unconventional, however, is the swirling, knee-high maze (whose calligraphic design is revealed on the planting plan as the word ' béréchit ', or commencement) through which all who visit the gardens must pass. After having successfully negotiated this brief rite of passage, I enter the first of what are actually two quite distinct garden areas. At the heart of The Magical Plant Garden (le Jardin Magique) is a huge arched pergola along whose length are planted no fewer than twenty-two types of vine, comprising both wine-making and table varieties. Many of the names will be familiar to wine-lovers, others less so, but the overall effect is remarkable, particularly from within. A bench is provided at either end of the cool tunnel of verdure for those who wish to spend some time taking in their surroundings, which must look dramatically different in late summer when the deep, fertile greens turn to pale russets and fiery crimsons.
On each side of the vine arch are twelve square beds, four large and eight
small, laid-out in precise symmetry. Each is dedicated to a single plant
species from the region and prized by man throughout history for its particular
magical healing or other beneficial properties. Relevant soft fruits, herbs,
shrubs, trees, grasses and even the legendary mandrake are represented. 
Beyond
each group of beds are two larger areas featuring juniper, walnut, pear and
olive trees, the latter being set among beds of lavender, their frequent
companion in the hills of Provence. The latter's effect in summer, when the
lavender is in full, fragrant bloom, may be as old as the hills, but living
screens of diamond-woven willow here add a powerfully stylised, contemporary
setting. The two final plantings bounding the garden consist of green oaks
on a bed of ivy, and almond trees in a sea of vinca major (which, when mixed
with earthworms, was apparently once considered an aphrodisiac..). This garden,
then, presents all the familiar plants to which man might turn for his needs
throughout the course of his earthly life.
Beyond the Jardin Magique lies its counterpart, the Jardin de l'Alchimiste proper, and a total contrast designed to make the point that alchemy is actually something quite separate from 'magic'. Moving through this highly-stylised garden involves a journey through three distinct areas, each of which is inspired by clearly-defined stages in the ancient alchemists' approach to their research: The Work in Black, The Work in Red and The Work in White. The first area employs hedging of dark foliage above a full-width path of dark crushed slate, the rigid, Zen-like minimalism barely relieved by lines of potted, jet-black hellebores perched on dark poles. The black area, I discover, also represents the individual's birth and physical growth. The combined effect is striking, if eerie, and only serves to heighten the impact of what follows. The white area is in some respects like a negative image of its predecessor, with the constraining rigidity removed. The near-monochrome theme is created by large beds of white roses divided by paths of pure white chippings. The white area, it seems, represents the time of discovery and development, in which many are content to remain throughout their lives.
After this powerful juxtaposition of extremes the final red-themed area
comes as a veritable Eden, with vast beds of red roses radiating from a central
focal point. Here, bounded by a pale gravel path, is a circular grassed area
at whose heart (as if to release any remaining tension) is a pool, complete
with fountain, in the shape of a six-pointed star. It comes as little surprise
that the red garden represents the final phase of the journey through life
aspired to by those in search of spiritual fulfilment.
By this time I feel as if I've also been on quite a journey, and that is precisely what the gardens creators Eric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières intended. In addition to le Jardin de l'Alchimiste, they have also collaborated on the Jardin des Paradis (Cordes-sur-Ciel) and are currently working on a new Rosary at the Parc Floral d'Orléans, a Medieval Garden for le Musée National du Moyen Age (Cluny) in Paris and the Jardin des Palmiers, further afield in Tunisia. It's an impressive portfolio, with more to come, and I resolve to follow their progress via the duo's featured displays at established garden festivals held at Courson, Beauregard, Chaumont-sur-Loire, etc.
Before leaving I ask Florence Jullion, the knowledgeable Québecoise responsible for leading guided tours of the gardens, to explain the full significance of the alchemy theme. My answer comes in a brief tour of the Mas de la Brune, in whose grounds the gardens were created. Built in 1572 and now a four-star hotel, the formidable Renaissance building is full of contradictions and the wealth of imagery carved in the corbels, cornices, etc. includes not only the Gospels, but assorted pagan and alchemistic symbolism. Painstaking research has failed to explain its origins, but the imagery points to the construction of the historic monument having been guided by a sixteenth century alchemist. At this precise time, practising in nearby Saint Rémy, was one Michel de Nostre-Dame, better known as Nostradamus. A colleague, perhaps, or one and the same man? It's an intriguing mystery.
© Words and pictures Roger Moss
This feature first appeared in everything France
magazine Issue 2
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