The Wheel of Sins*

Sounds a bit dramatic doesn't it? But it was quite interesting and an unexpected treat. We recently managed a few days in France and on the way back to Calais were thinking of somewhere for Sunday lunch. I remembered that Boulogne had been active in encouraging tourists after the demise of the day tripper traffic.

Favouring the old town we parked the car and went for a wander. We were surprised to find the main square had been turned from a car park into an art installation, an ephemeral garden.

Inspired by the paintings of 15th century Flemish artist Hieronymus Bosch we entered a series of gardens featuring the seven deadly sins -La Roue des Péchés. My French is of the school girl variety but péchés is a word I knew. I had listened to a radio programme while in Québec and had been very confused as I had initially thought they were talking about fishermen but there had been no mention of fish, the sea or boats! I've so much to learn...

The Wheel of Sins

Some of the sins were easy to guess with the props and planting but a couple had us puzzling, partly because we struggled to name them in English let alone French. Someone obviously had a temper in this garden and I couldn't quite get it until I read the handy label.

Wrath

 

 

 

 

Vanity was easy

Vanity

as was gluttony

Gluttony

and something easy to relate to after four days in France! We liked 'glutto' and "I'm so glutto" has becone a favourite phrase.

Covetousness wasn't too bad with it's box of jewels and gold & silver planting,

Covetousness

But this one, the two sculptures opposite each other had us going.

Turns out to have been envy.

I like sloth which was a garden full of weeds, a rust bed and an abandoned paint tin.

Sloth

Lust, which seemed to have been a favourite topic of Bosch's as it had a huge space. had many representations, I'll leave you to spot some of them.

And if like us you are struggling to list them all: pride;covetousness;lust;anger;gluttony;envy and sloth