Font Colombe Park

The 5-hectare park, located at the southern end of the Cévennes district, is a beautiful 19th-century romantic garden.

In its forest-like undergrowth, holm oaks, white oaks, Aleppo pines and ash trees all stand out for their remarkable size. Biodiversity finds refuge in these ancient trees, where it is protected and enhanced. In the center of the park, a meadow, unusual trees such as yew and bald cypress, the pond and the château Bon in the distance bear witness to the site's history.
This park has been awarded the "Ecojardin" label, highlighting the ecological management carried out by the town's gardeners.

A little history: It was in 1694 that Philibert de Bon, First President of the Montpellier Court of Accounts, Aids and Finances, commissioned a country residence from Louis XIV's architect in Languedoc, Charles Augustin d'Aviler. Aviler was already known as the designer of the Peyrou triumphal arch. Philibert de Bon wanted his residence to be built on the site of the Mas de Terrade, an agricultural estate he owned west of Montpellier. The building was constructed between 1694 and 1700.

The central building is surrounded by two short wings opening onto the entrance courtyard, rather than onto the garden. The axis of symmetry of the French-style gardens is marked by a first circular basin, then a little lower down, a rock fountain and at the far end of the park, a third fountain, now disappeared, completed the perspective. The park was laid out on the model of Versailles: on the terrace in front of the château, two rectangular basins recall the Sun King's water mirrors and reflect his façade. The exterior appearance was radically altered during the 19th century, making d'Aviler's design difficult to recognize.

Between 1858 and 1862, the lower sections of the estate were redesigned by landscape architects Etienne and Eugène Bühler, who created curved paths, rockeries and planted acclimatized American plant species. The terraces, the pond and the central axis of the estate have been preserved and form part of the Font Colombe park, a listed wooded area, as does the avenue of Château Bon plane trees that extends it.