the pear tree of Valloires Abbey, a story of a remarkable tree, of Cuisse-Madame and of the kings of England

He was, until his death in 2023, the oldest in France. The pear tree of Valloires Abbey, planted in 1756 during the reconstruction of the abbey church, was part of the park of fruit trees which allowed the Cistercian monks to live self-sufficiently. They made a pear liqueur which was said to be very popular at the English court. The pear which has become the abbey's coat of arms. It's the story of Sunday.

It has hung on the facade of the abbey since 1756, the date of the consecration of the new church. “It was planted as a symbol of the renewal of the abbey which faced several damages: the bell tower had collapsed, there were several fires“, explains Sarah Sgard, tour guide, to visitors who follow her through Valloires Abbey.

The Valloires pear tree has been one with the building for almost 270 years. And with the history of the place. It has long been the oldest fruit tree in France. Until last summer when his strength finally abandoned him. Today, its trunk sounds hollow beneath its dried-out bark. “He gave up the ghost little by little. We saw it declinesays Bernard Peugniez, former president of Valloires Abbey and specialist in Cistercian abbeys. In recent years, we have seen the number of pears he carries decrease. Then it lost all its leaves. And he didn't make any more buds. It's always a loss to see such an old tree die.“

The Valloires pear tree slowly died out. For a long time, this Madeleine d'Angers was not the only one to grow espalier against the facade of the abbey. “On this east facade, there was a pear tree every three meters until around ten years ago. One between each window, shows us Bernard Peugniez. That's something new for this facade. And there were also some on the apse of the church. Why did he last longer than the others? There is no rational explanation. The normal life of a fruit tree is 60/70 years. So 270 years is not bad! I think there is something of a spiritual blessing. Valloires is nine centuries of spiritual life. There is something of that in the air that remains.“

Like its counterparts, the Valloires pear tree was not planted by the monks to look pretty. He was the last witness to the economic activity of the abbey in which he greatly participated.

In the Middle Ages, Cistercian monks were also farmers, arborists and gardeners. And therefore landowners. The monks of Valloires, established there since the 12th century, are no exception: they own tens of thousands of hectares in Ponthieu divided into around ten agricultural centers of 200 to 300 hectares each. “They were close to nature. They had planted hundreds of trees for their personal consumption and for sale in the markets, explains Bernard Peugniez. All monasteries in the Middle Ages grew a lot of fruits, vegetables, flowers and fruit trees in their enclosures for self-sufficiency. It is not pure autarky, but self-sufficiency: they must first feed themselves and sell the surplus on the markets or in relays. The monks of Valloires have one in Abbeville and one in Montreuil-sur-Mer. Self-sufficiency means 'I consume nothing other than what I produce'. The monks of Valloires went so far as to exploit one or two salt works in the region to obtain salt which was an important means of preserving food.“

And with the pears from their pear trees, they make a liqueur about which little is known, except that it was called Cuisse-Madame or La grosse Madeleine and that it was very appreciated at the court of 'England. Because in the Middle Ages, Ponthieu, the region where Valloires is located, was English land: “through marriages and inheritances, the kings of England are the counts of Ponthieu: Edward I^isEdward II, Edward III, who will come to annoy us at the battle of Crécy, are kings of England who have their hunting lodge in the Ponthieu region. So the English court is very close to the abbey of Valloires“, underlines Bernard Peugniez.

With its economic power, the abbey made the pear its coat of arms. A pear streaked with gold and blue.

Prosperous until the 12th century, the monastic congregation then suffered the horrors of the Hundred Years' War and then the Thirty Years' War. Dilapidated, it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century. But the abbey church collapsed. The news will be officially consecrated on September 5, 1756, the date of the planting of the pear tree.

With the French Revolution, Church property was sold. The monks of Valloires leave and farming stops. The premises come into the possession of the local lord, “a large grain merchant and who settled here to continue to make the estate profitable. There have always been successive owners who maintained the place, who took care of it and who gave their lives to it. In 1880, there were children living here since the abbey became an agricultural orphanage. During the 14/18 war, around 4,500 soldiers passed through here on their way back from the front to be treated, explains Bernard Peugniez. Then, there was the creation of the Association de Valloires 100 ans by Thérèse Papillon to welcome children threatened with tuberculosis. Today, she still welcomes children, but who have social problems. It's more about child protection“.

So many eras that the pear tree has seen pass under its now dry branches. Crucified on the facade of the abbey, one day it will be necessary to remove the stumps. A decision that the Valloires association cannot make alone.because the abbey has been classified as a Historic Monument since 1907. We must check this with the competent cultural authorities. In any case, we will not be able to replant immediately on a wall which itself needs restoration.“

It's a safe bet that the tree will stay in place for a while longer. Time for its successor, a young pear tree of the same variety planted two years ago, to gain a little size and scope. It takes time to become the oldest pear tree in France. Almost 270 years…

With Gontran Giraudeau / FTV