Introduction :
The land of Cocagne, if one were to definite it, would be a miraculous country where nature overflows with generosity for its inhabitants and guests.
It is said in antiquity, the Egyptians had unlocked the secret of pastel.
What is certain in that Hippocrates used the plant for its medicinal properties.
Pastel fueled the golden age of Toulouse between the 17th. and 16th. centuries.
The golden triangle of the land of Cocagne was between Toulouse, Albi and Carcassonne.
But it was mainly in Toulouse that pastel made the city rich.
Indeed, for its exportation throughout Europe, maritime routes were used.
And so it was in Toulouse , at the commercial port of trade, that boats laden with the precious blue pigment set sail for all of Europe.
You've already told me, but many Toulouse families made their fortune in the pastel trade.
The became nobles and above all, built private mansions in Toulouse.
Toulouse boast over 200 private mansions, making it one of the cities with the most in Europe.
One could say a true competition ensues among the different families.
Indeed, it is a race to see who will construct the most beautiful and big private mansion.
And the main element of this race for recognition was the tower of chapter house, which were stair towers.
It was these towers that determined the power and influence of a family that hall made its fortune in pastel.
Therefore, they had to build the highest chapter house tower possible.
In Toulouse, the private mansion are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Carmes, around Esquirol and the Saint-Etienne Cathédrale, as these where the former commercial districts of the city.
Many of them are in the Renaissance style and have nothing to envy to their Italian counterparts.
They are built with a subtle blend of stones and bricks.
The most beautiful private mansions in Toulouse are the " D'Assézat mansion" and " the Fermat or Berny mansion " , which nowadays has become one of the largest high schools in Toulouse.
During the Middle Ages , in the 12th. and 13th. centuries, pastel became the color of Toulouse and of the entire European nobility.
Fabrics made from animal or plant fibers were used in its process.
Unfortunately, pastel experienced two challenging periods.
The first, in the 16th. century, due to adverse weather conditions, the religions wars and banking conditions.
Pastel declined, and it was replaced by indigo.
The second in the 17th. century, saw the use of chemical dyes, further leading to the neglect of pastel.
Toady, thanks to the expertise of local artisans, we are witnessing the revival of pastel.
The Toulouse-based company, ' Graine de Pastel " , has resurrected the " blue gold " and its properties with pastel, clothing and many cosmetics are crafted.
There is also pottery from the Martres-Tolosane area.
More surprisingly, but these are true creator, always looking for new creations to offer, there are beers made honey with the flower of the pastel, with the brewery located at " La Garonnette " a district from Toulouse.
Finally, in Lavaure can find the " Magrin " castle-museum, which houses the pastel Museum.
Indeed the Christian nobility of Europe embraced pastel blue.
That's why you can notice a lot of blue in Catholic churches.
And yes, the representation of the Virgin Mary is blue !!!! .
Furthermore, pastel is of great interest because its dye can produce numerous primary colors.
Even the king of France abandoned the purple color of the king of England for pastel blue.
All of his armies also sported this magnificent blue.
The pastel evokes blue and a source of peace.
Presentation of the plant of pastel :
It has existed for over 2 million years.
There are 4 plants for pastel.
One in Europe : Itatis Tinctoria
One in Asia : L'indigo Ondigofera Tinctoria
One in America : L-anil Indigifera suffructicosa
One in Japan : Polygonum
Pastel is obtained through the fermentation of the plant's leaf.
In Europe, the most favorable climate was that of our region.
That's why we started its cultivation.
Indeed, the dual influence of the Mediterranean and oceanic climates, along with the Autan wind, are ideal elements for the cultivation of the plants.
It is for this reason, that Toulouse has the best pigment in Europe, hence the richness of our region.
Pastel is a biennial plant has 2 cycles per year.
Planting takes place in the autumn, and germination can be seen within 4 weeks.
It aloes not winter due to its deep roots, snow, cold, and frost.
In spring, the first year, thanks to the clayey soil of our region, the leaves turn into a rosette color.
This is the signal for harvesting, but only on the same field for the first year.
The other fields are intentionally left fallow.
In spring, at the base of the leaves, an inflorescence 1.30 meters high appears with a bouquet of bright yellow flowers at the end.
Indeed, nowadays, we cultivate beehives using pastel flowers to produce honey.
The second year, we saw again in the harvested field to always have pastel seeds, just like in the Middle Ages.
In autumn, a fruit appears, and we collect the seeds for future harvests.
The pastel plant belongs to the cabbage family.
The ends a two-year cycle of a pastel flower.
The plant, pastel has brought two types of enrichment throughout history.
People from all over Europe came to seek this pastel or became merchants in order to make a fortune.
Firstly architectural enrichment.
Indeed architects, thanks to pastel, demontrade great creativity through the construction of splendid private mansions.
Lastly, cultural enrichment thanks to pastel, especially in terms of art and painters.
The technique to obtain this magnificent pastel blue :
Everything is in the fresh pastel leaves, not dry.
It all begins in the Middle Ages where the technique involves crushing the leaves.
They are crushed using a " pastelier " mill.
Indeed a horse circles around a mill.
At that time, this saves a lot of time.
Afterward,between the fingers, we rub and gather all the elements of the pastel sheet.
After this important step, we make " Cocagne " balls and let them dry on dryers.
The comes the moment of the step, we wet them, the pastel turn blue, then we crush it, and we obtain this splendid blue pigment.
With a ton of leaves, we get about 2kg of pigment which is enormous.
A pastel dye workshop is essentially composed of vats at the back, then one chooses a cookies cutter, and then heads to the press to make the impression.
Extraction of the pigment is necessary, along with a cheminical reaction to transform the sugars of the pastel plant into the molecule of indigotin, the source of this highly sought-after blue.
What is the Land of Cocagne ? :
The technique of " Cocagne " which is the ball created through the work of fresh pastel leaves, has given its name to our region : The land of Cockaigne !!! .
Back in the Middle Ages, these exercices were long and complicated because they required a lot of manpower.
The land of Cocagne " means : " we"re eaten so much that we're napping on the ground.
In the Middle Ages, everything was related to food, so pastel was a dream for all of medieval Europe.
In village, there was a tradition called the " Cocagne pole ".
This involved handing a ham at the top of the pole, and only the strongest could reach it.
So we can say that " Cocagne " is a sign of happiness.
Nowadays, machines do the work, and the pigment and the " Cocagne " are obtained in just three days.
Today, pastel is experiencing a new golden age because , it is the only local and European element for dyeing all fabrics blue.
Merchants are becoming rich again and are people who access power.
The culture and craftsmanship around pastel nowadays provides numerous direct and subcontracted jobs.
Many years are present between Albi, Toulouse and perpetuate this magnificent tradition.
the work involves selecting with fresh leaves, pigment is extracted, and with direct ones, through an oily maceration, numerous ceramic creation are obtained.
The creations are plentiful as we also make jewelry, and we are eco-friendly, using all fabric scraps.
Megarding the crafts, the one who works with pastel is the " pastellier " and the one paints with it is a " pastelliste ".
It's worth nothing that nowadays, about a dozen dyers are classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The society of " Terre de Pastel " :
It's a Toulouse-based company that works with pastel and creates a wide range of remarkable creations in various fields.
Then even a SPA where you'll be offered many body treatments with " Terre de Pastel " cosmetic products.
There also a museum dedicated to pastel with the possibility of making your own small pastel blue fabric bag.
Finally, in the center of Toulouse, next to the most beautiful private mansion " Hôtel D'Assézat ", you will find the real " Terre de Pastel" boutique.
The company owns about twenty hectares for pastel cultivation near Labège, outside the Toulouse metropolitan area, and many project in this direction are yet to come.
Here, my friends ,that all for today.
If I were to draw an historical parallel, today Airbus is making Toulouse prosperous, but Pastel was the city's first source of wealth.
I hope you will enjoy reading about the wonderful history of the golden age of pastel in Toulouse.
I wish you an enjoy reading and a beautiful and peaceful day.
BONUS OF THE PASTEL' S BOUTIQUE IN THE CENTER OF TOULOUSE :
BONUS VIDEO : The magic is happening !!! .
Coordinates :
SPA Bleu Par Nature : 629, rue Max Planck, 31 670 Labège. ( 05/62/88/36/79 )
Boudoir Bleu Par Nature : 6, rue Charles Rémuzat 31 000 Toulouse ( 05/61/73/36/06 ).
Maison du Pastel : 9 place d' Assézat 31 000 Toulouse.( 05/34/33/53/02 ) Boutique.
Museum of pastel : 629, rue Max Planck 31 670 Labège. ( 05/62/88/01/82 ). The workshops .
Welcome in Toulouse.
The blog from Toulouse.
Greetings Franck.
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