The Cloister of Marmande and its garden
Adjoining the southern side of the gothic church, the cloister, of which only two sides remain, has fine sculpted decorative elements in the French renaissance style. According to an epigraph, the group of buildings dates back to 1540. The decorative style is extremely elegant and varied.
The inner courtyard as been maintained as a classical topiary garden since 1950. It was designated a “Jardin Remarquable” (Remarkable Garden) in 2007. The box tree designs were inspired by those in the gardens at the Château de Langeais.
The cloister and its garden are now used to host numerous cultural and heritage events. Opening times: 8am to 8pm in the summer; 8am to 5.30pm in the winter.
L’Eglise Notre-Dame (The Church of Our Lady) .
Beautiful building in the High Gothic style, built during the wars with England in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The huge bell-tower on the north facade was entirely rebuilt after 1672.
Inside, the elevation of the nave is typically gothic with its large arches, triforium (shallow gallery) and high windows.
Notice the baroque altarpiece representing episodes in the life of Saint Benoît, an entombment in the mannerist style, and the Neo-gothic nineteenth century Cavaillé-Coll organ.
