It is a fragrant rose, a rose of a delightful pale pink and light white. The Louis Pasteur Rose was baptized today in honor of the bicentenary of the birth of one of the greatest scientists of all times. The rose was created by rose specialist Bernard Panozzo for the French nursery Star de Doué upon the initiative of Pascale Cossart, the Honorary Perpetual Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences (Académie des sciences). Officially called in French Rose Louis Pasteur®, a bush of this rose was planted in the garden of the home of the scientist in Arbois in the scenic Jura mountains where Pasteur would go to relax from his pioneering work in his laboratory in Paris and in his private laboratory on the first floor of his Arbois home, the only home he ever owned.

His house in Arbois has been, since 1992, a foundation of the French Academy of Sciences of which Pasteur was the perpetual secretary from 1887 until 1889. It has been conserved intact since his death and offers a glimpse into his personal life and it is open to the public. « The bicentenary of the birth of Louis Pasteur led the Academy to undertake a major renovation project of the Arbois home and also its garden which had, over the past few years, lost its initial structure. We wanted to bring back the heart and soul that Mrs. Pasteur had given it. She adored flowers and particularly roses just like her husband, the great scientist, » explained Pascale Cossart.

Trained in chemistry, Louis Pasteur was behind major scientific revolutions of the 19th century in the fields of biology, agriculture, medicine and hygiene. He would notably develop the rabies vaccine. He was born in the Jura region in the city of Dole on December 27th, 1822. Myriad celebrations and events are all on the agenda for the Year of Louis Pasteur.
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
For more information on the Year of Louis Pasteur and his home in Arbois:
https://www.pasteur2022.fr/
https://www.terredelouispasteur.fr/la-maison-de-louis-pasteur-a-arbois/