The Saint-André Gardens and Abbey in Villeneuve

Labelled Remarkable Garden of France and listed as a Historic Monument

Amongst the most beautiful in France, the Saint-André abbey gardens and the abbot's palace are located within the walls of the fort of the same name. A Benedictine monastery was founded in the 10th century on the site of the hermitage of Saint Casarie. Become a royal abbey by the 13th century, it had considerable influence over a large part of southern France. Partially destroyed during the French Revolution, the abbey was left to abandon before becoming private property. 

But today, the gardens are open to the public, as is the abbot's palace, altered in the 17th century to become a beautiful reflection of the splendours of that period.   

A mosaic of flowerbeds, parterres and terraces, the gardens are designed in Tuscan Renaissance, Mediterranean and Provençal styles. Rose bushes, wisteria, hundred-year-old pines and olive trees, flowering plants, in short more than 100 varieties of vegetation intermingle between the ruins and the tombs of the former abbey. Urns, ponds, sculptures and a beautiful pergola ornament the paths on which it is a pleasure to stroll and breathe in the fragrances.

Like balconies, the gardens offer magnificent views over Avignon, the Alpilles, the Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail.

The Abbot's Palace presents superb architectural features and a beautiful collection of works of art.

In all, truly remarkable!