Jardin de la Cour d'Honneur / Roseraie

You are standing in a space that was hidden behind high walls for generations. Before it became the public Jardin de la Cour d'Honneur, this land served as the private grounds for the Corentin Celton hospital, which was originally established as a retirement home known as the Petits Ménages. These massive stone barriers kept the interior gardens and the Saint-Sauveur chapel exclusively for the use of patients and residents. In the early two thousands, the city undertook a major urban renovation project that transformed this institutional site. Workers tore down the long stretches of perimeter walls, finally opening the grounds to the public in two thousand four. This act of deconstruction integrated the former hospital gardens into the surrounding neighborhood, creating a new flow of space between the Rue Guynemer and the hospital entrance. Nestled within this restored courtyard is a bronze sculpture of the Croatian poet and writer Antun Gustav Matoš. This work by the artist Ivan Kožarić sits as a quiet focal point in the garden. Its presence highlights the transformation of a restricted medical enclave into a site of culture and public leisure. The garden earned the name Jardin des Mille Roses because of the roseraie planted during its redesign. This section features a curated collection of antique and perennial roses, reviving a tradition of decorative horticulture. The redesign also carefully rehabilitated the two historic patios surrounding the Saint-Sauveur chapel, which had long been inaccessible to the public.