You cannot fail to notice the
castle keep (donjon) as you drive into the
Sothern Touraine town of Loches in the Loire
Valley - its lofty situation, well chosen by Foulques
(Fulk)
Nerra the Count d'Anjou, the 10th century
prolific fortress builder, makes it the
first thing you notice on the skyline.
This was one
of a number of strongholds built by the
formidable Count of Anjou - although completed
by his son Geoffrey Martel. This along with
others at Langeais and Montbazon were to help
secure his grip on the territory of Touraine and
help keep his rival counts at bay.
His
descendant, Henry Plantagenet (Henry II),
inherited the English throne in 1154 and adding
this to his territories in France made him one
of the most powerful men in Europe. Faced with
the task of constantly defending his possessions
in a time when there was little peace, he
strengthened the already formidable
fortifications at Loches.
Aerial view from the West towards
the donjon.
© Lieven Smits (Own work) [GFDL
or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia
Commons
The fortress was fought
for over the decades by the ruling Plantagenets and the French. King Richard (the Lionheart) had succeeded to the English throne and its French territories after a turbulent period of war, family unrest and of course the death of Henry II.
In
1193 after being left in the protective
custody of John Lackland* (the
eventual King John) while the king brother Richard
(The Lionheart) went off on the crusades
it was easily taken by Philip Augustus of
France. On Richard's return a year later,
according to legend, he took it back after
only a three hour siege. When you look at the
fortifications this was no mean feat! It
stayed in English hands until 1205 when
Philip again took possession this time after
a year long siege, this episode effectively marked the end of the presence of the Plantagenets in Loches.
*:Did
you know this came from the name the French
had for him
'
Johan
sanz Terre'- (John without land) due to the
fact that his father struggled to find him a
title and lands. Lack land -get it?
Entrance into the fortified
complex is via the13th century gate,'Porte
Royale' which was built on the western
ramparts.
lf
you make your way up through 'Port Royale'
you head straight up the little
narrow street before
turning right along the route to
the 'donjon' or keep itself Left takes you
to the 'Royal Lodgings' (Chateau).
Before making your way up the
wooden stairs to the entrance take time to
wander around the exterior of the buildings
- you won't be disappointed.
It remained a military
fortress until the middle of the 15th
century. It eventually became a state prison
and was still used up until the beginning of
the 19th century.
It is interesting to think ,
as you walk around, that you are walking in
a garden where 'Richard the Lionheart' and
John Lackland once strolled.
As you make your way up the
steps via the 15th century barbican
you immediately feel you are about to
be immersed in history.
Once inside there are a
number of different aspects to explore.. You
first wander through the 14th century
'Governor's residence' before making your
way to Louis XI tower (above) with its
viewing terrace.
Looking back down to the
barbican from the terrace.
Inside there are a number of
interesting areas such as the 'model room'
giving you a better idea of the fortress's
construction and use. You can also see some
ancient graffiti left by previous
'residents', a torture chamber and the cage
in which Cardinal Balue, an enemy of Louis
XI was apparently held for three years
You can then move on to the
15th century 'Martelet' which leads you into
a network of 11th
century
subterranean passageways -from where some of
the stone used was quarried from. The tower
was used as a prison for political prisoners
and there is a reconstruction of a cell for
you to view within it. If you walk down
through the caves you can exit the complex
on Bd,Philippe Auguste.
The keep at the '
Donjon
'
at Loches was one of thirteen such towers
built at the beginning of the 11th century
by
Foulques
Nerra the Count d'Anjou
.
The square tower is 36 metres high and the
fact that it is still standing today
is testament to just how well it was built.
Although today, what you see from the
outside is virtually all that remains as the
floors and roof have been lost to time.
From inside you easily make
out the different floor levels and the
fireplaces serving them. The ground floor of
the tower would have been used as a store
the first floor would have housed the 'grande
salle' or great hall which would have been
used as a reception and entertaining room.
The other levels would have been the private
residence of whoever was occupying the
fortress as the time. The top level wouold
also have been where they would retreat in
less peaceful times.
There is a walkway that takes
you up the interior of the walls, not for
the faint-hearted, which allows access to
the top of the tower. Once you chase off the
current residents you can take advantage of
the great views from the top platform of the
surrounding area,
of
the town...
of St.Ours church...
and further on to
the neighbouring town of Beaulieu-les-Loches,
it is well worth making the climb!