Priory Saint-Cosme re-opens...

After more than a year's work the new gardens and a new itinerary for visitors were unveiled to the public back in February (2015). This work included the restoration of walls, updating the pathways and an array of new plants for the contemporary gardens which seek to capture the essence of the poet Ronsard in what was his former residence. See more here

Why Priory and not Abbey?

A visit, for our site research, on a wet July day to the Priory Saint-Cosme just outside of Tours, could have proved disappointing but even the weather couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the place. Not overly publicised, this little treasure, the one-time home of French writer and poet Pierre de Ronsard, is a delight and we could imagine the tables and chairs, set among the  tidy rose gardens, playing host to picnickers sheltering form the currently absent, summer sun. History, architecture and poetry - all there for your appreciation.

Another page for the website…here

One question that was raised was what the difference between an abbey and a priory might be – trust the web to have a site (here) dedicated to ‘the difference between’.