Saint-Cosme priory – Ronsard House

Mignonne allons voir si la rose… The rose is on highlight in the gardens of the priory that was home to Pierre de Ronsard, on the outskirts of Tours. The “prince of poets” became the prior in 1565 and died here in 1585. The prior’s house was built in the 14th century and still contains his bedroom and study. The refectory boasts a magnificent roman pulpit and was fitted with 14 unique windows created by the painter Zao Wou-Ki, in 2010.

Saint-Cosme Priory was built in the late 11th century on the site of a shrine on a former island of the Loire. It was in the 16th century that the religious community welcomed its most illustrious prior, Pierre de Ronsard, the poet and founder of the Pléiade. He died at the priory in 1585 and was buried among the roses and irises in the garden.

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