Jardin des Moines and Pont coudé

This pleasure garden was laid out in the 16th century by Pierre de Mareuil, commendatory abbot of Brantôme from 1538 to 1556. Three Renaissance resting places with Italian-inspired motifs adorn its paths. The writer Pierre de Bourdeille, known as Brantôme, commendatory abbot from 1556 until his death in 1614 and nephew of the previous abbot, was very attached to this garden inherited from his uncle. His cousins called him “mon cousin du Pont” or “Monsieur du Verger”. Access to the garden is via a 16th-century bent bridge, the entrance to which is marked by an elegant Renaissance pavilion. It owes its original shape to the need to span the river Dronne and its reach, which surround the town.