garden, a church, a land of memory Perched at a height of 600 m in the middle of a vast natural bowl which has been known as the « vallee de l’Absinthe » (wormwood valley) since high antiquity, the abbey watches over a land which has been sacred since Prehistoric times. On this sandstone spur, the Cistercian abbey of Valsaintes, inhabited by monks from XIIth century to the French Revolution, has an unusual garden as its neighbour (which was certified by the French Ministry of Culture in July 2011). The old dry-stone terraces host a rich spontaneous vegetation to which we have added a collection of 500 varieties of roses, bulbs, hardy perennials, annuals, plants suited to the dry soil, trees, shrubs and vegetables. Vegetable, mineral and wild life all live in harmony with Man and 100% natural gardening. When you come to see the garden, you can also visit the completely restored XVIIth century abbey church. Artefacts, such as the archaic solar calendar, show the passage of all those who have marked this historic place. A timeless stroll…in a garden like no other!