Garden of the Governor

These nuns lived in a large convent (1) located on the current Place Médecin Général Blanchard (2). They had an orchard and cultivated a large vegetable garden close to that of the convent of the Cordeliers brothers (3). As the archives indicate, this "enclosure of land" provided "some wood and fodder" and "the said garden and orchard" was "sufficient for the grazing and fruit necessary for the said house". The garden received water from the town canal, now the Grande Gargouille (4), which crossed the enclosure. After the French Revolution and the law of 18 August 1792, the nuns were forced to abandon their convent, which became national property. The building was definitively transferred to the hospital in the year XII. Designated to be used for the establishment of the secondary school or college, the building, threatening to fall into ruin, was finally put up for sale in 1821. The following year, the Director of Fortifications acquired it. The building then became the Hôtel du Gouverneur, i.e. the accommodation of the commander of the square, and the Ursulines' garden took the name of "Governor's garden" (5).
Already reduced by the development of the fortifications at the beginning of the 18th century, it was amputated of a significant part, during the development of the Place de la Paix (today's Place Médecin Général Blanchard). This gradual transformation of the site into a traffic and parking area was reinforced during the 20th century
Today the garden is the property of the town of Briançon. Accessible during guided tours, there is a flowerbed on the left-hand side, while the right-hand side has been home to an 18th-century vegetable garden since 2004, with the vegetables and plants that were grown at that time. It is maintained by the Green Spaces department and is the subject of activities for school children. It is also used as a setting for art exhibitions and cultural events such as the Rendez-vous aux jardins.