Cedar of Lebanon at Ussé
At the Chateau d'Ussé (the castle that inspired Perrault's Sleeping Beauty) in the Centre region of France, there are two huge Cedars of Lebanon that the romantic author Chateaubriand gave to the Duchess Claire de Duras, the wife of the owner of the castle and also an author in her own right. The two had met in London during their exile from France after the 1789 Revolution. These trees were transplanted from the "holy ground" of Lebanon just after Duras returned to France after the "reign of Terror" following the Revolution had died down. Duras is famous for her novel Ourika (originally published anonymously) about black woman purchased in Africa who grows up as a free woman in an aristocratic French family and struggles with her identity.
Translation of Plaque:
Cedars of Lebanon given to the Duchess of Duras by Chateaubriand in 1808