Hidden by a vast wall running along the right-hand side of the rue de Babylone, where you would least suspect it, the Catherine-Labouré garden reveals 7,000 m2 of green grass lawns in Paris’ 7th arrondissement. The garden was formerly an orchard that belonged to the Filles de la Charité convent. It was donated by the convent and opened to the public in 1977. In fact, the Jardin Catherine-Labouré is named after one of the convent’s former residents: a nun who lived there during the 19th century and became famous for supposedly having had several visions of the Virgin Mary in the convent’s chapel (which consequently came to be known as the chapel of Notre Dame de la Médaille miraculeuse).
Adjoined to the garden and accessible only through it is the “Jardin du Potager”, located behind the old Laennec hospital and which served as a former vegetable patch. Despite no longer serving their original purposes, both the Jardin Catherine-Labouré and the Jardin du Potager are still home to many fruit trees (apple and cherry), as well as vines and a small vegetable patch used for educational purposes. It is the perfect place to take your kids (every Wednesday a local association organises workshops to teach children about environmental protection) or to take a leisurely stroll.
I personally like to grab a coffee (hot or iced depending of the season) at Coutume, sit down on the grass and enjoy the peace and quiet.
