The Importance of Religon in European Gardens

Throughout history, people have created gardens for many reasons. Religious cultures are no different. We have looked at three cultures: Roman, Mediaeval, and Muslim. Each of these cultures has in some way connected their creation of gardens to their respective religions.

 

The Roman religion is based on worshiping their gods and goddesses. The gardens became a place for the Romans to worship and pay tribute to them. Throughout the Roman gardens you could find statues of the gods and goddesses. These allowed the people to connect with their gods while relaxing in the gardens. The Roman culture had an appreciation for otium, which meant relaxing while doing something to better yourself. The gardens became a place for them to relax while worshiping their gods or talking with others about religion.

 

In the mediaeval ages, there was a transition to Christianity. The hierarchical structure of mediaeval society put the church at the top. Across all art forms, religious art dominated. This transferred over to gardens as well. The monastic gardens were utilitarian. They were sensibly designed to allow each community to be self-sustainable. However, within the heart of the cathedrals they created cloisters. These gardens had religious meaning. Within the cloisters you could see imagery and symbolism of the Garden of Eden. For example, many of the gardens were divided into four parts representing the four rivers in the Garden of Eden. There was also tribute to the Virgin Mary in the mediaeval gardens. There were statues of Mary as well as plant symbolism. The Madonna lily, the red rose and violets were symbols for the Virgin Mary and could be found inside the gardens. The cloisters found in the cathedrals were truly a place of religion for the Christians during the mediaeval times.

The Muslin culture also incorporated their religion into the formation of their gardens. Muslims believe that when you died, you went to a paradise. There are over 120 references to garden paradises in the Quran. For Muslims, the Quran was the verbal divine guidance, the word of God meaning that they take what the Quran says very literally. On Earth they created this paradise through their gardens. Muslim gardens were often intricate with water being a very big part of it. There were often four watercourses that represented the four rivers of life. They had beautiful flowers with many colors. They truly created paradise on Earth. Muslim gardens also incorporated calligraphy that quoted pieces from the Quran, expressing even more of heaven in the gardens. All together one could see that heaven was a part life in all places for the Muslin culture.

In their own way, each culture expressed their religion through the conception of the types of gardens that they made. It was a way for them to feel connected to their respective religions in a place other than temples, churches or mosques.

For more information on gardens and religion throughout Europe’s history, check out this link: http://project.eghn.org/downloads/EGHN_Story%20of%20gardens

Photograph Sources:

Griffin, Kylie. 2010. Photograph. Kylie Griffin's BlogWeb. 23 Feb 2014. <http://kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.dk/2010/06/italy-trip-part-4.html>.

Queen Eleanor's Garden. N.d. Photograph. The Great HallWeb. 23 Feb 2014. <http://www3.hants.gov.uk/greathall/queen-eleanors-garden.htm>.

N.d. Photograph. North South GuidesWeb. 23 Feb 2014. <http://www.northsouthguides.com/>.