'Vineas absentes'
The hidden, sprawling vines of the Medieval Garden of the Musée Cluny have been uprooted!
This post is a grumble (well, not entirely).
The origin of grumble is the Middle French word grommeler, or "mutter through the teeth." Just think about the things in life that make you want to mutter through your teeth and you'll probably start to grumble.
Years ago as I was about to take a group of people for a tour of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, I walked into the little Square Laurent Prache to the left of the church when facing the entrance, and discovered the vines had been uprooted. All that was left was a gaping hole. It was a shock that left me disturbed, aghast, and emotionally bereft. Who could have done this and why!?
As all of our walks begin (and sometimes end) with a vineyard, this was the keystone to the vault of Saint-Germain-des-Prés’ wine history. The walk no longer had any meaning as the spiritual connection with nature, the soil that has hosted vines for centuries, and the wine history they symbolically represented, was no longer there.
I called the Mairie (City Hall) of the 6th arrondissement, wrote to them twice, and never received a reply (which caused me to start muttering expletives through my teeth - grumbling). Quite accidentally and fortuitously, I one day walked around to the Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés side of the church and walked into the Square Félix Desruelles. And there they were. Looking worse for wear and tear, and no longer trellised in three neat little rows, but all a tangle in a tiny bed along the south side of the church.
As you might surmise, this was a huge relief. It was like finding a long lost friend, which is both joyful and reassuring. Fortunately, the trend in Paris in recent years has been to add more vines (and green spaces), not uproot them. So, I am hoping that the sprawling profusion of vines that were, until quite recently, growing in what was the Medieval Garden of the Musée Cluny, will be replanted (otherwise there will be grumbling).
The notice featured below is affixed to the garden fence, announcing the ‘restructuring and renaturalising’ of the Cluny Medieval Garden.
According to the website (https://shorturl.at/kbfQO) the work, which began in November, will terminate in the Spring. There will be 6 new trees planted, along with shrubs, perennials, and bulbs. There is no mention of vines, but squares (which I suppose mean raised beds) of medieval inspiration will be added along with grass.
The website has this to say (translated from the French by me):
“This garden has been closed to the public more often than not for several years for safety reasons. Since mid-November 2024, the City of Paris, with funding from the State and the museum, has been carrying out work to redevelop the ‘public garden’ section (2,825 m²), and the Musée de Cluny will then be responsible for restoring the abbots' historic garden (550 m²) in 2025 and 2026.
The work on the abbots' garden will be carried out by the Musée de Cluny under the supervision of the chief architect of the Monuments Historiques. The restored garden will be accessible to all visitors and will form an integral part of the museum's tour circuit. The public will be able to rediscover and admire the beautiful facade of the medieval mansion on the garden side.”
I have written to - contact.musee-moyenage@culture.gouv.fr - to request that they replant vines, and will keep you posted on the response (otherwise there will, again, be grumbling). It’s of course exciting that the Musée Cluny will have a new and improved garden and park, as green space in the heart of the city is to be treasured. That some of it will be inspired by medieval gardens is an additional plus. But if the vines are not replanted, I will certainly grumble!
Meanwhile, on a more ‘winey’ note (and grumbling is certainly synonymous with whining), here are Saint Benedict’s guidelines (Cluny was of the Benedictine order) for wine drinking, which encourage moderation, but admit excess as, “wine makes even wise men go astray”. They also admonish those, who for whatever reason are deprived of wine, not to grumble, but instead, bless God and be grateful.
Again, if there are no vines to grow grapes and make wine, that is a serious, justifiable, and profoundly good reason to grumble. And I should think if I were used to having at least a litre of wine per day, and then have none, I’d grumble too. But there are of course more important things in life (like what?) and we should be thankful all the same. Of course we should…
Chapter 40: The Proper Amount of Drink
Everyone has his own gift from God, one this and another that (1 Cor 7:7). It is, therefore, with some uneasiness that we specify the amount of food and drink for others. However, with due regard for the infirmities of the sick, we believe that a half bottle of wine a day is sufficient for each. But those to whom God gives the strength to abstain must know that they will earn their own reward. The superior will determine when local conditions, work or the summer heat indicates the need for a greater amount. He must, in any case, take great care lest excess or drunkenness creep in. We read that monks should not drink wine at all, but since the monks of our day cannot be convinced of this, let us at least agree to drink moderately, and not to the point of excess, for wine makes even wise men go astray (Sir 19:2). However, where local circumstances dictate an amount much less than what is stipulated above, or even none at all, those who live there should bless God and not grumble. Above all else we admonish them to refrain from grumbling.
I will refrain from grumbling when vines are again planted in the ‘restructured and renaturalised’ Medieval Garden of the Musée Cluny. If you would like to learn more about the role wine has played in shaping and building Paris (of which I suspect there was little grumbling), join us for a wine walk. Our newest walk, Medieval & Roman Paris, which like all our walks recounts the real story of Paris (which is wine) is ideal for families, children, and those simply interested in the most comprehensive overview of Medieval & Roman Paris one might ever hope to encounter. Santé!
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My book, ‘The Hidden Vineyards of Paris’ (reviewed in Jancis Robinson’s wine blog, the Wine Economist, National Geographic Traveler UK, UK Telegraph) is available for purchase via our website and at anglophone bookshops and wine shops in Paris. You can also find it at the Musée de Montmartre and the Librairie Gourmande.
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