Cultivating Virtue

Master of Papeleu, Virtue Garden, from La Somme le Roi (and Le Miroir de l'âme) by Laurent of Orleans, 1295, Illumination on vellum

In 1279, a Dominican monk known as Frère Laurent produced—whether by original composition or careful compilation—the Somme le roi, a handbook of moral instruction prepared for King Philip III of France. The work circulated widely, and no fewer than fifteen of its manuscripts contain a richly symbolic illustration commonly called the “Virtue Garden,” including a copy made in 1295.

At first glance, the garden appears to present a visual meditation on the Beatitudes, yet it depicts only seven virtues rather than the familiar eight. This apparent discrepancy reflects a long-standing interpretive tradition that goes back to St. Augustine of Hippo in the early 5^th century. Augustine argued that the eighth Beatitude merely reiterates the first, since both conclude with the same promise—“the kingdom of heaven.” On this basis he reduced the Beatitudes to seven and, in a striking act of theological synthesis, aligned them with the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit described in Isaiah 11. The Virtue Garden draws its meaning from the interplay of these three symbolic sequences.

Within the image, seven trees stand for the seven Beatitudes and the virtues they engender. Each Beatitude is understood as cultivating a particular moral disposition: those who mourn, for instance, are associated with patience. Rising above them is an eighth tree, larger than the rest, whose branches break through the border of the image. The explanatory text identifies this tree as Christ himself, beneath whose shelter the virtues take root and flourish.

Seven women appear in the garden as well, embodying the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. From their vessels flow streams of water, signifying the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The visual logic is deliberate: prayer gives rise to divine gifts, and these gifts in turn nourish the virtues named in the Beatitudes. Thus the plea “Deliver us from evil” yields the gift of wisdom, which sustains poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:3), understood here as humility. In the Somme, the seven trees ultimately bear the fruit of eternal life. The image therefore traces a spiritual movement that begins in prayer and culminates in everlasting communion with God, emphasizing throughout that growth in meekness, mercy, and purity of heart depends not on human effort alone, but on grace and the abiding presence of Christ.

Compare Virtue Garden (above) to this painting, Garden of Virtues, from a half-century later:

“Garden of Virtues”, early 1300s, Master of the Dominican Effigies