Clos des Carmélites

Three blocks from our apartment one can find a seventeenth century orchard once belonging to the Carmelites of Dijon. I discovered it on a stroll with my children towards the Etang Royal (Royal Pond, now a local fishing spot).

There isn't much information on the old orchard, only that it was owned by the Carmelites, along with a few other buildings in the vicinity. One assumes that during the Revolution the government seized the property, as it had so many others belonging to Carmel. The enclosure, which goes on for many blocks, is now surrounded by a new subdivision (aptly called Carmélites), and from outside the stone wall one can see the tops of trees sprawling wildly and unkempt.


Part of the enclosure from the outside.


Within, nothing but overgrowth and a crumbling building.


Another section of the wall, with a blocked-up window.


According to this document, the town has decided to turn the orchard into a park--which means the unfortunate soul inhabiting the house on the grounds (the brown brick home seen in the background) will be looking for new lodgings soon.