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From Lannion to Rio, discover the story of Auguste Glaziou, gardener of Dom Pedro II, who transformed the imperial parks of Brazil and marked the history of gardens.
What if one of your ancestors had marked the history of another continent? This is the case of Auguste François Marie Glaziou (1828-1906), a botanist and landscape architect from Brittany whose destiny led him from Lannion to Rio de Janeiro, where he became the gardener of Emperor Dom Pedro II.
His work shaped the landscapes of Brazil, blending French expertise and lush tropical nature. French know-how and luxuriant tropical nature.
Auguste François Marie Gros-Valet was born on August 30, 1828 in Lannion, of unknown father - he was only recognized later by his father Yves Glaziou. His mother, Marie Josèphe Gros-Valet, was a cook, and his father was a gardener. It was undoubtedly him who passed on his passion for beautiful plants.
Birth certificate of François Marie Gros Valet - Source: Archives départementales des Côtes d'Armor
Auguste studied to become an engineer in Paris, and took the opportunity to attend botany courses at the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle.
Graduated and passionate about botany, Auguste arrived in the 1850s in Bordeaux to follow the courses of Durieu de Maisonneuve. It was he who renovated the public promenade of Bordeaux, and it was there that he met his future wife.
Two years later, Auguste was 30 years old and was invited by Emperor Dom Pedro II to take charge of the Management of parks and gardens of the Imperial House in Rio de Janeiro. He will embark from the port of Bordeaux to the Brazilian capital, armed with his know-how and the botanical style of the French Second Empire (sinuous alleys, lakes and artificial rocks...). Him and his wife will settle, with their daughters, in the neighborhood of São Cristovão.
In Rio, Glaziou transposed the landscape style of the French Second Empire : sinuous alleys, lakes and artificial waterfalls, rocks and showcasing of exotic vegetation. He transformed the public promenade of Rio (1860-1862), where he introduced waterfalls, rivers and artificial lakes - a true landscape revolution for the time.
His success opened the doors to other prestigious projects, such as the Quinta da Boa Vista, imperial residence, and parks in São Paulo, Espirito Santo and Goiás.
Source: Héritage BnF
In parallel, Glaziou led botanical expeditions to enrich the knowledge of local species, contributing to the creation of herbarium collections still valuable today.
In 1889, the fall of Dom Pedro II overturned Auguste's life. Forced to leave Brazil, he returned to France and proposed for the Paris World's Fair a tropical garden at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
But the story does not stop there: met in Cannes, the deposed former emperor convinced him to return. Glaziou then resumed his duties in Rio until 1897, where he supervised the public gardens, forests and urban tree planting.
He even determined the future location of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil inaugurated much later.
Retired near Bordeaux, Glaziou continued to cultivate tropical plants. He died in 1906, leaving a lasting imprint in Brazil. Today, Rio de Janeiro still preserves his creations, classified as heritage, and two herbaria bear his name.
His life illustrates how much genealogy can reveal extraordinary destinies : a simple son of a Breton gardener became architect of the imperial landscapes of Brazil.
Just like Auguste Glaziou traversed continents and epochs, your ancestors may have left unexpected traces.
👉 Discover them today by creating your family tree for free on Geneafinder. Start your genealogical research with Geneafinder