Just 3 kilometres from Tours, the Priory of St. Cosmas in Indre-et-Loire is a former monastery which 12th-century canons considered as "a heaven on earth making it easier to reach the real heaven". The priory was also a place for pilgrims to stay on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Yet that is not the reason for its fame, which is due to the presence of Pierre de Ronsard, who was a prior there from 1565 to 1585. His main activities were poetry of course, as well as gardening, an occupation he particularly enjoyed. He lived at the priory until his death and his tomb is located in the remains of the old church. The prior's lodge, which was Ronsard's final home, has been converted into a museum about the poet's life, where you can see his bedroom and study.
The gardens form a harmonious group and offer a peaceful place to walk and breathe in all the scents, especially those of the omnipresent roses.
