The Contemplation Garden

For people in the medieval period a formal garden, such as this, was not just a place to display beautiful or rare plants. The garden also served as a place to go to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to escape from the more worldly and mundane features of their existence. In fact, the garden became a "paradise on earth" with the Garden of Eden serving as a model. The garden was to be isolated from the outside world and was to include all sorts of features that would make it a place of spirituality and contemplation. The plants in the garden were also important in further reinforcing this link with Christian beliefs, personages and events. The color white in flowers stood for the Virgin Mary and purity, red represented the Blood of the Martyrs, grapes for everlasting life, flowers with five petals stood for the five wounds of Christ, and fruit trees for the tree of knowledge. These symbolic representations were copied into literature and art and are some of the best examples of elements of medieval gardens that we have today.
 

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