Monday’s Travel Photos – Loche in the Loire Valley

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Loches, like Azay-le-Rideau, is on the banks of the Indre. Château de Loches, which consists of the 10th to 12th century collegiate church of St Ours, the early 15th century Logis Royal built by Charles VII and the 12th century keep, said to be the first stone built castle keep in France, surrounded by a very thick wall, stands on a rocky promontory overlooking the very picturesque town which has several Renaissance houses. It is beautifully lit up at night. Jeanne d’Arc arrived here on 11th May 1429 after her historic victory at Orleans to meet the king. The local market, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings attracts people from throughout the region.

Keep at night
Mediaeval gate to Loches Castle lit up at night

 

Porte Picois and Town Hall in Loches, examples of Renaissance architecture
Porte Picois and Town Hall in Loches, examples of Renaissance architecture

 

Typical street in Loches
Typical street in Loches

 

Joan of Arc's plaque
Joan of Arc’s plaque

 

Tympanum of Saint Ours
Tympanum of Saint Ours

 

Tomb of Agnès Sorel, Charles VII's mistress, known as the Dame de Beauté (
Tomb of Agnès Sorel, Charles VII’s mistress, known as the Dame de Beauté (

 

Château de Loche, governor's lodge
Château de Loche, governor’s lodge

 

Château de Loches, royal dwellng and Agnes de Sorel's tower
Château de Loches, royal dwellng and Agnes de Sorel’s tower

 

Anne de Bretagne's oratory
Anne de Bretagne’s oratory

 

Saint Ours Collegiate Church
Saint Ours Collegiate Church

 

Château de Loches
Château de Loches

 

 

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3 thoughts on “Monday’s Travel Photos – Loche in the Loire Valley”

  1. Nice to see you featuring Loches (which, as you may know, is the reason we live where we do — so we can be within reach of Loches market 🙂

    A couple of minor comments and corrections: the first photo is of the medieval gate to the citadel, not the keep. The actual keep (donjon in French), is the most significant building in the complex from an architectural point of view. It was the first stone built castle keep in France (well, actually it’s a toss up whether it was here or Langeais, but the builder was the same man…) and is still the tallest.

    1. I didn’t realise it was the major reason for choosing your area! These were taken during a visit in 2011, or we would have dropped in to see you.

      I’ve fixed up the errors (at least I didn’t call the donjon a dungeon as most of the websites in English seem to do!) and added the information about the keep of which I don’t seem to have a photo. I obviously didn’t realise its significance at the time.

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