This afternoon we finally took a little trip to visit Salagon, a beautiful 12th century priory that is now an historic monument, educational garden and museum. Salagon is located just outside the village of Mane, about four kilometers west of Forcalquier, in a very peaceful setting. We like the drive on the N100 to this part of Provence very much, and we really enjoyed our three hours at Salagon. I think it's well worth a visit, especially for people with an interest in gardens.
The history of Salagon dates back almost 2000 years. Archaelogists have discovered the remains of a farm and a Gallo-Roman villa underneath the current structure, as well as a 5th century basilica and cemetery. Some parts of these earlier structures can be seen from inside the church, looking down through grates. During the French Revolution, the priory shifted to private ownershiph, though it later returned to the Church. In 1910 Salagon was sold to a farmer and then was occupied by the Italian army in World War II. Finally, in 1981, the property was bought by the commune of Mane who began the extensive resoration. Today Salagon is owned by the département of the Alpes de Haut-Provence. There is a small admission charge, and Charley turned over his driver’s license so we could check out three audioguides in English.
It was overcast when we arrived, so we decided to explore the gardens first in case we were forced inside later by rain. There are six different theme gardens at Salagon, including about 2000 different plants. I love plants and flowers, and I especially enjoyed the gardens.
The priory at Salagon
We first visited the Medieval Garden, with almost 400 plants that were cultivated in Europe up to the end of the Middle Ages. There aren’t any plants from the “New World” or modern plants. The Medieval Garden includes a vegetable garden, a medicinal garden (including a little area of plants used by witches), and a flower garden.
Fountain in the Medieval Garden
The largest garden is the Contemporary Garden, which sits directly facing the priory. It’s divided into sections for plants that originated on each of the five continents and includes food, industrial, ornamental, and aromatic plants. There is a unique irrigation system that supports this garden. The tomato is a very important plant in Provence—I hadn’t realized that it originated in South America, was cultivated in Mexico, and only came to Europe (where it was perfected) in the 16th century.
In the Contemporary Garden
My favorite garden was the Aromatic Garden, a small garden that includes lavender and a wide variety of herbs and flowers. This was a peaceful and simple place, a beautiful environment to sit on a bench and just breathe in the fragrances.
Charley found a quiet spot in the Aromatic Garden
I loved the colors and smells of the Aromatic Garden
There’s a wildflower meadow, a couple of other gardens (the Simples Garden, the Downy Oak Garden, and the Noria Garden) and a place to buy plants. I’m sure Salagon would be an interesting place to visit at different times of the year, as the gardens would change considerably based on what is in bloom. The booklet I bought had a cover photo of a large field of bright red poppies in front of the priory, similar to the vistas I enjoyed so much when we were here with our Luberon Experience groups in May.
In addition to the garden, we visited the old church building (now used for concerts) and the adjacent buildings which now house a museum. There were several exhibits related to various aspects of life in Provence. One exhibit featured equipment from a blacksmith workshop in Lourmarin; the blacksmith was the last in a family that practiced this trade for years. Another exhibit was about lavender cultivation. (Another surprise bit of information for the day: the cultivation of lavender in this area goes back less than 100 years. Before that it was picked in the hills where it grew wild.) There was also a temporary exhibit about food cultivation in Provence. Salagon also includes a large reference library for the use of researchers and a good bookshop. When we finally emerged from the museum area, the sky was a bright blue, though it was cool with a bit of wind. Later that evening, the Mistral wind brought even cooler temperatures.
On the way out, I turned back for this one last look
Some people think we must have been everyplace in Provence because we have spent so much time here, but on days like this we feel we haven’t seen much at all. Within an hour and a half of our village of Bonnieux we still have so much to discover.
