Silière, a "Remarkable French Garden" with a romantic promenade, was created in 1661. It is contemporary with Versailles and its design is attributed to Le Nôtre. The garden and residence are listed as Historic Monuments.
Covering an area of 3 hectares and entirely enclosed by dry stone walls, the garden appears at first glance to be a perfect illustration of French-style gardens: symmetrical layout, slender fountains fed by the Silière spring, rose beds lined with boxwood, hornbeams and lime trees.
Although it was created in the second half of the 17th century, the Silière garden was developed during the 18th century by its various owners, who channelled the water and created pools, installed statues and laid out the Orphée roundabout.
The property was acquired in 1812 by François Bertrand, ancestor of the current owners. In 1846, his son-in-law Pierre Jacquinot added a romantic promenade. He diverted some of the water from the spring and had a small stream dug. The walk winds along this stream, which forms two waterfalls, one of which is petrifying: a "tuffière". The magnificent trees that date from this period have earned this wooded area the "Ensemble Arboré Remarquable" label.
From 1972 onwards, Pierre and Christiane Massin took charge of the garden, which had suffered from a lack of maintenance during and after the Second World War, and gradually restored it to its former glory.
In this way, the Silière garden illustrates the evolution of garden design in France from 1661 to the present day.
The Silière garden combines 17th-century classicism and 19th-century romanticism in a place of beauty, harmony and bliss.
The garden is open during the Rendez-vous aux Jardins (1st weekend in June) and throughout the summer (see www.siliere.fr).
Jardin de Silière
