Bossuet garden

The Bossuet garden is a typical example of a bishop's garden.

The Bossuet garden has been progressively created by a succession of bishops since the end of the 15th century. It final structure was defined between 1637 and 1674 under the bishops Dominique Séguier and Dominique de Ligny.
Towards 1643-1644, the formal French garden was designed. A local, but not proved, tradition credits that the creation was due to the famous landscape gardener André Le Notre. At that time the famous man was thirty years old and in the position of official royal gardener in the Tuilleries. Considering the important rang of Domique Séguier at the royal court, the theory of Le Notre's participation is not to be excluded.
The garden comprises four flowerbeds limited by box trees and its design in a shape of a mitre was made to be seen from the first floor of the bishop's palace. All around the garden an alley of lime trees created in 1787 gives pleasant shade and underlines the design in form of a mitre.
After the Revolution and during the 19th century the garden was almost abandoned. In 1910, the township of Meaux bought the bishop's palace and decided to restore the garden in order to open it to the public.

Average length of visit : 30min