A great provençal garden : Albertas

Its history goes back to the 17th century : round about 1640 Henri de Seguiran, first president of the Cour des Comptes (Audit Office) in Aix began to make a formal garden with parterres, fruit trees, water and a grotto. The Seguiran and Albertas families were united by marriage in 1673. Reynaud de Seguiran added important elements to the garden at this period. Throughout the 18th century the garden kept its formal aspect: the  daily work of the gardeners, and the purchase of plants, are well documented, notably for the marquis Jean-Baptiste d’Albertas and then for his grandson Alfred from 1820. The garden is beautifully maintained by the Albertas family and an archaeological study of the grotto is in process.

Louise Leates taught Art History and Garden History in England before coming to live in Aix-en-Provence in 2004. Her research here is largely based around gardens and their history. She published a first article on Albertas at the time of the Seguirans in the journal Provence Historique in 2017.