The Story of the Carnation of the Bouillon Castle

The beautiful pink carnations that brighten the grey castle walls during the period of May to June are not just ordinary flowers...According to legend, none other than Godfrey of Bouillon is responsible for this colourful touch.

One day, in 1099 in Jerusalem, the dying Godfrey gave a small pouch of carnation seeds to Aloys, one of his most loyal crusaders.They were meant to decorate his grave, but Godfrey wanted it differently.He gave Aloys the order to bring the seeds to Bouillon and to make them bloom on the castle.“The small pink flowers,” he said, “will remind mankind for all eternity of the story of the Crusades.” After a long journey along the roads of Turkey, Italy, and France, Aloys arrived in Bouillon and fulfilled his mission.

Even today, as if by magic, these flowers grow each year on the castle walls, but nowhere else.The Bouillonnais are quite proud of these special flowers.To honour them, in the 1960s, a Cortège des Œillets took place every two years.In this flower parade, children dressed up as carnations, wearing a pink tulle dress, a green blouse, and a pink carnation on their heads.

The Parade of the Carnations unfortunately belongs to history, but Bouillon found a worthy alternative to once again give its city flower the attention it deserves.The Syndicat d’Initiative joined forces with the cheese makers of La Bergerie d’Acremont. They created a cheese named l’Œillet du Château — the Carnation of the Castle.

For the preparation of this cheese, inspiration was taken from an old medieval recipe.It is made in a copper cheese vat, from raw sheep’s milk of high quality.Then it is stored for six months in the heart of the castle, hidden in a small cellar.Here, this extraordinary cheese matures, which, with its legendary name, makes the beloved carnation shine again, just as Godfrey once wished.