EANA
Located near Rouen in the city of Lillebonne in Normandy, the Valasse Abbey dates back to the 12th century. It unde- rwent several restorations, the last one in the 18th century. The monument lies in the small valley of Bolbec, which meanders throughout the garden’s 30 ha. The park completes the ongoing restoration of the historical monument and facilitates its interaction with new buil- dings, all of which give birth to the EANA “land of possibilities”, a polymorphic tourist programme: a leisure park, a garden exploring the history of the universe and that of the Cistercian monks, outdoor events on sustainable deve- lopment, a conference center...
The project offers an interpretation of the monks’ relationship with their environment; several trails in a series of themed gardens provide an introduction to the landscape and its natural elements: elemental garden, fog/mist gar- den, textile garden, dew garden, etc. This project also included the restoration of the immediate surroundings of the abbey which entailed highlighting the archeological elements on site. Furthermore an ecological restoration of the river was undertaken on site, as well as a new planting strategy for the river banks.
