Angers Tourist Attractions
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Angers, once capital of the county of Anjou and now chief town of the département of Maine-et-Loire, the see of a bishop and a university town, lies half way between Tours and Nantes straddling the river Maine, 8km/5mi above its junction with the Loire.
Castle
On a 32 m/105ft high crag above the left bank of the Maine is the Angers castle, surrounded by stout defensive walls with 17 round towers which now stand 40-60 m/130-200ft high. The castle was originally built by Foulques Nerra in 1230-1240 and renovated by Louis IX of France (St Louis) later in the 13th century. During the 16th century wars of religion Henry III ordered the towers to be pulled down, but in the end only the tops were destroyed. Of the castle's two gates only the one on the north side, the Porte de Ville, can be used. The south gate, the Porte des Champs, is half way up the outer wall between two towers.From the walls (along considerable stretches of which it is possible to walk), from two truncated towers and from the wall-walk there are fine all-round views.In the castle courtyard are the Gothic chapel, the Logis Royal and the Logis du Gouverneur. In both the Royal and the Governor's Lodgings are tapestries of the 14th to 18th centuries.Built in the 13th C., this fortress now houses an important collection of tapestries, with the centerpiece being the Apocalypse Tapestry.
Tenture de l'Apocalypse
A specially built modern glass gallery houses one of the great masterpieces of medieval tapestry, the Tenture de l'Apocalypse, woven by the Paris weaver Nicolas Bataille in 1375-1380 after drawings by Hennequin of Bruges. 168 m/550ft long and 5 m/16ft wide, it originally consisted of seven parts, of which 70 complete scenes have survived. The theme is the Revelation of St John. The gallery also displays reproductions of the scenes and the relevant passages from the Bible.At the far end of the exhibition hall, below floor level, the apse of a Romanesque church has been exposed.
St Maurice Cathedral
In the Place du Ralliement, in the old town of Angers, is the Gothic Cathedral of St-Maurice (12th-13th C), to which a handsome ramp and staircase lead up from the banks of the Maine. On the doorway are sculptured figures with remains of their original coloring; in the tympanum is Christ enthroned, surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists, and above this are eight statues of knights (16th C). The facade has three towers; the central tower was built in the High Renaissance period.The interior is impressive, with fine stained glass (12th, 13th and 15th C) depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin and the martyrdoms of St Catherine of Alexandria and St Vincent, tapestries and a richly decorated 18th C organ gallery. In the cathedral treasury is an antique marble bath converted into a font.Immediately behind the apse of the cathedral is the Maison d'Adam, a handsome and well preserved half- timbered house (15th-16th C).
Logis Barrault
The 15th C Logis Barrault in Angers, a handsome burgher's house in which Mary Queen of Scots and Catherine de Médicis once stayed, is now occupied by the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with works by Raphael, Murillo, Ribera, Philippe de Champaigne, Watteau, Chardin, Boucher, Fragonard, David, Ingres, Delacroix and Corot.
David d'Angers Gallery
In the little Gothic church of Toussaint (All Saints) is an exhibition of the complete work of David d'Angers (1788- 1856), consisting partly of originals and partly of copies.A little way east is the Early Gothic bell tower of St- Aubin.
Hôtel Pincé
The Hôtel Pincé (1523-1530), the finest private mansion in the town of Angers, now houses the Musée Turpin de Crissé (enamels, prints and drawings, masks, Oriental and East Asian art, Greek vases).
Lurçat Museum
The Lurçat Museum in Angers, housed in the old Hôpital St-Jean (12th C), displays works by the painter Jean Lurçat (1892-1966), best known as the renewer of the art of tapestry. In the large Gothic hall, originally the hospital ward, hangs a cycle of 10 tapestries woven in Aubusson, the "Chant du Monde", depicting the problems of mankind in our day and thus in a sense forming a counterpart to the "Apocalypse".The hospital complex also includes a Romanesque cloister and a chapel.
Pont de Verdu
The Pont de Verdun in Angers, the middle bridge of the three in the town center, leads over the Maine into Rue Beaurepaire (houses with beautiful courtyards). At the far end of this street is the Romanesque church of La Trinité, which belonged to Ronceray Abbey (17th C). The abbey now houses the Ecole Nationale des Arts et Métiers (public not admitted). The Pont de la Haute-Chaîne leads by way of Boulevard Ayrault and Avenue M.-Talet to the church of St-Serge, which has a fine Angevin-style choir (13th C). To the southeast is the Jardin des Plantes.
Map of Angers Attractions
Map - Angers
