Loches Things to Do

Every time you pas a gate of an earlier defense wall, you go back in time even more. When you've passed the citadel gate, this is the scene you'll see. The road to the left will get you to the church and the castle, The way ahead will lead to the keep. This is a place where you really can not loose your way since this is all there is.

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The west end of the church is preceded by a 11C bell-tower and a narthex (or porch) as was customary at the time the church was built (12C). The main door is under the narthex , which itself is square with ribbed groin vaulting. The door is capped by a series of archivolts containing carved voussoirs of weird animals. They appear not to have properly planned a tympanum but have installed scenes of the Adoration of the Magi (left)and on the right them dreaming and being prompted by an angel. Mary is at the center. Along the jambs are single statues, one of Peter. These decorations are much worn but as 12C remnants are early sculptures. To the right (south) of the door is a stoup created from a hollowed-out Gallo-Roman column.

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As one views the church from the South, it appears to have four steeples in a row, the outer two being taller. Indeed the tower on the left (west) is the bell-towe and is 11C with a newer top. The one on the far right is the crossing tower (12C). The two shorter ones are actually octagonal domes that cover the nave (just after 1150)). The use of domes as covering is so unusual that it will be treated as a General Tip. The church is Romanesque, mostly 12C and has a narthex and an interesting entry also covered separately. Inside, the church has only a nave and a south aisle but has a wide transept with tall barrel vault top providing clarity within.

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The castle has two wings linked end to end. The older one is taller (north ,15C), was created for Charles VII and used primarily to house his mistress Agnes Sorel. The newer wing (south, 16C) was built for Charles VIII and Louis XII. The rooms are sparsely furnished and decorated. The most important one (historically) is preserved as the room in which Joan d'Arc convinced Charles VII to go to Reims to be crowned King establishing France as a sovereign state and legitimate entity. Another room houses the restored Tomb of Agnes Sorel (treated by us as a separate General Tip). Nearby a room houses a Crucifixion tryptich of the School of Jean Fouquet (15C). In the newer wing is a charming Oratory of Anne de Bretagne.

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A tour is offered of the Keep and the attached Martelet during which its somber rooms and torture instruments are on view. The keep is 11C built by Fulk Nerra of Angers fame. It has buttressed walls that are 9 ft. thick. In one room Ludovico Sforza was kept in solitary confinement for 8 years. He created graffiti on the wall to help keep his sanity. Presumably, he dropped dead on reaching daylight when released.

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The parking area was at the southwest end of the walled enclosure above. As we approached these ramparts, we walked into the shadow of a "Round Tower" and saw to the right the looming hulk of the 120 ft tall keep. These structures dominate the south end of the enclosure. We walked north along the west wall until we reached the only entry: the Porte Royale, built in the 15C between two 13C defensive towers.

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Have a wander, have a look.
Look out for concerts held in the evenings. We didn't see the concert but we sat through part of the flutes rehearsal and it was very atmospheric... and that is why we didn't go to the concert because, according to our youngest, it was an "evil" atmosphere - I thought it was nice!

The dungeon was rather spooky, you could go underground and see where prisoners had been held for years and years. The torture chambers didn't much interest me though...

There was a story of a man who had been imprisoned for something like 25 years and he was finally let out. As soon as he reached the outside and saw the sun for the first time he died due to the shock. Don't really know if this is a true story, but it adds to the mystery surrounding the city.