Anjou Attractions
|
|
The delightful region of Anjou in western France, lying on both sides of the Loire, is now the département of Maine-et- Loire, with Angers as its chief town.
Bauge, France
In the 15th C Baugé was the favorite residence of Yolande of Aragon, mother of the future Roi René, who also liked to hold court here. The Château of Baugé, which has an elegant spiral staircase, now houses the Town Hall and a small museum (china, weapons, old coins). In the Chapelle des Filles du Côur de Marie is the Croix d'Anjou (Cross of Anjou), a precious relic brought from Constantinople in the 13th century. In 1421 a joint French and Scottish army defeated the English in the battle of Baugé.Rebuilt in the 15th C. by the Duchesses d'Anjou and added on to at tremendous cost by King Rene, who made it his principal residence. The interior has been greatly modified by the addition of the town hall, a theater, a museum and the main station for the local firebrigade.
Fontevraud Abbey, France
Fontevraud Abbey, first founded in the 11th C, has had many uses over the years including a prison. Today it serves as a conference center.
Chateau of Montsoreau, Montsoreau, France
The 15th century Château of Montsoreau, between Fontevraud and Saumur, has preserved its fortress- like character. It contains the Musée des Goums, with mementos of the conquest of Morocco. (The Goums were Moroccan units incorporated in the French army.) Alexandre Dumas immortalized one of the châtelaines of Montsoreau in his novel "La Dame de Montsoreau". 1.5km/1mi south is the 15th century Moulin de la Herpinière.
| Highlights: |
|---|
Bagneux, France
At Bagneux, 2km/1.5mi southwest of Saumur, is one of the most impressive megalithic tombs in Europe.
Château de Brézé
11km/7mi southeast of Saumur is the Château de Brézé, a Renaissance moated castle (restored).
Cunault
13km/8mi northwest of Saumur is the beautiful Romanesque abbey church of Cunault (11th-13th C), with an interior notable for its clarity of form. There are remains of Romanesque and Gothic frescoes in the domes of the apses. On the south side of the ambulatory is a reliquary of polychrome wood.
