Abbot Marie garden

Peace and beauty in front of the Château-Musée de Saint-Germain-de-Livet

Between the church of Saint Germain de Livet and the river that goes around the castle, stretches the old parish cemetery. Ravaged during the Revolution of 1789, it was decommissioned in 1890 for a larger one, built on the top road. From 1960 to 1996, Father Marie, priest of Saint Germain de Livet, straightened the abandoned graves, he even went so far as to bring out a few stones that had remained at the bottom of the river. At the foot of each of them he cultivates small gardens of perennial plants. These flowers, along with those picked in the parish gardens, will be used by the church for the "flowering" of the festivals.

"Flowers in the church all year round"

Flowers and foliage have always accompanied the holidays. However, the flourishing of religious ceremonies in the first half of the 20th century was incomparably rich. Twigs, foliage, stems, whole flowers or single petals are used to flower altars, statues, processions. This old cemetery is now a place of memory and discovery of these rich traditions. Twenty-two festivals are thus represented by as many flowering stones.

"From Christmas flowers to All Saints' Day"

From Christmas to All Saints' Day, religious ceremonies and family celebrations are accompanied by a flowering dictated by tradition. The blessed candles of Candlemas are sometimes decorated with wreaths of primroses and violets. If Lent is austere, the month of Mary (month of May) imposes "flowers in abundance". And the "white is obligatory to honor the Virgin". To ask for the protection of the crops, the parishioners will flower the oratories of Notre Dame des Champs. As at Rogations, the statues are decorated with wild flowers. Corpus Christi (June) stretches out in sumptuous processions: the streets of the towns, the paths are strewn with foliage and flower petals. The clergy take these "cobblestones" and stop to sing in front of the altarpieces. For the patronal feast, we set up triumphal arches of greenery and paper roses. In the fall, the "Teresian" festivals, the Holy Childhood, use the few flowers still present in the gardens: asters, dalhias. Only chrysanthemums are bought in the markets to flower graves on All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead.

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