Losches Castle: French fortress, royal residence and terrible prison. Visit to the castle and park

In the 11th century.

Castle of Losches

Story

The donjon of the castle of Losches is the oldest of all medieval donjons in France that have survived to this day. Construction on this site began in the 9th century, when only a wooden tower was built, protecting the adjacent village and connected to it by underground tunnels dug into the rocks.

These lands belonged to the Angevin Count Fulk I the Red, but the history of the Losches fortress begins from the moment when his successor, Fulk Nerra, a cruel conqueror who fought all his life for neighboring lands with the de Blois family, became count. Fulk Nerra ordered the construction of a square fortress made of stone on this site. Constant wars forced Fulk to build a dozen fortresses on his lands to protect against invaders.

Construction of the donjon began in 1005 and continued until about 1070. With relatively modest dimensions (25 by 15 meters) and a 38-meter height, the donjon was practically impregnable, since the thickness of its walls reached three meters. As expected, loopholes were hollowed out in the walls, and machicolations were located at the top, allowing the defenders to shower the enemy with a hail of projectiles.

Fulk Nerra died in 1040 and was buried with honors here, in the castle of Losches.

Since the 12th century

The count's work was continued by his successor, Geoffroy Martel d'Anjou, Count of Anjou, Tours and Maine from 1129, who eventually managed to defeat the Counts of Blois in Saint-Martin-le-Beau, which allowed the Angevin family to settle quietly in the castle of Loches. New fortifications grew around the donjon, and no one attacked these lands again. Changes occurred after the last of the Fulk family married the daughter of the king of England - their son, Henry Plantagenet, who later ascended the English throne (1154), was forced to oppose the French monarch Philip Augustus, who seized most of the Plantagenet lands.

After the death of Henry II Plantagenet, his son, Richard, went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, but on his return was captured by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, which allowed Philip Augustus to receive from Richard's brother, John the Landless, many Plantagenet estates, including Losh also came in. Richard the Lionheart, who regained his freedom in 1195, needed only 3 hours to regain Losches. Four years later, Richard died in Chinon, and his legal heir Arthur was vilely killed by Jean Lackland, who continued to fight Philip Augustus. In 1205, after a year of siege, the castle of Loches again came into the possession of the French monarch, who made it a state prison.

15th century: Joan of Arc and Agnes Sorel

After the capture of Loches, Philip Augustus began to restore and strengthen what remained of the fortress, and subsequently the Old Residential Building with towers and a guard belt was rebuilt in the northern part of the castle, which became a landmark place after the capture of Orleans in June 1429 - this is where Jeanne d' Arc convinced the Dauphin Charles to be crowned the French throne in Reims.

Shortly afterwards, Agnes Sorel, the "Beautiful Lady" who became the first mistress of King Charles VII in 1444, took up residence at the castle. Agnes was famous for her charity and love of luxury, which was reflected in the state of the royal treasury. In 1450, feeling her death approaching, Agnes Sorel asked to be buried in her beloved church of Notre-Dame de Loches, known today as Saint-Ours, to which she bequeathed 2 thousand gold ecus. Some time after the funeral of Agnes Sorel, the clergy turned to the Dauphine Louis XI with a request to transfer the remains of the generally recognized sinner from the church to the castle, but after Louis hinted that in this case the bequeathed gold would “move” along with Agnes, the monks of the Chapter were finally convinced of sinlessness "A beautiful lady."

The ashes of the favorite rested until the Revolution, when the soldiers of Endra's battalions, mistaking Agnes's grave for the grave of a saint, smashed her alabaster statue, desecrated the grave and scattered the remains. In addition, the rebels almost completely destroyed the Old Residential Building, Anne's Chapel, prison cells and the Church of Notre Dame itself. Later, the remains of the “Beautiful Lady” were transferred to one of the halls of the restored Old Building, and a copy of the old alabaster statue was placed above the new tomb.

In the 15th century, several rooms, the New Tower and the Martello guard tower were added to the Old Residential Building. At that time, the royal apartments included a tower and fortress wall from the 13th century, an ensemble of buildings with a watchtower from the 14th century and a hunting pavilion from the 15th century, built around the same time as the donjon leading to the Cordelier Gate and the Tower of St. Anthony. The new wing houses the chapel of Anne of Brittany, wife of two monarchs (first Charles VIII, then Louis XII).

Prison prisoners

During the existence of the prison, many high-ranking prisoners visited here. For example, the prisoner of Losches was the famous historian Philippe de Commines, who betrayed Louis XI by siding with a group of conspirators, but was subsequently pardoned by Charles VIII.

The Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza (Moro), captured in the Battle of Novara, sat in the Martello Tower. As a sign of respect for the noble origin of the prisoner, Louis XII allocated him a cell with furniture and a fireplace, and also provided him with some “conveniences”, such as the company of a jester and masters. The walls he painted and the elongated ceiling of the chamber, decorated with an image of a heraldic helmet, snakes and stars, as well as several wall inscriptions remind of Moreau’s stay here.

Other "guests" of Losches were the bishops of Puy and Autun, Antoine de Chabannes and Jacques Huraud, who took part in the conspiracy against Francis I. During the imprisonment, the churchmen made a small carved altar and a wall polyptych depicting the Passion of the Lord.

There is a legend associated with the dungeon of the castle: as if at one time the owner of the Pontbrillant castle, having heard enough stories about mysterious underground rooms and caves near Loches (where rock was once mined), ordered to break open several ancient walled doors. After passing through many galleries dug into the rock, Pontbrillant found himself at a dead end in front of a closed room. Opening the door, he initially recoiled sharply, seeing a tall man in a sitting position, with his head in his hands, but since he did not move, the owner of the castle came closer and saw that it was a corpse that had turned into a mummy thanks to the dry air of the prison cell. A few moments later, the wind rushed in from outside, instantly turning him into dust. In addition to the mysterious mummy, Pontbrillant also discovered a small chest containing neatly folded clothes. According to legend, the bones of the mysterious prisoner are kept in the Notre Dame Church.

Current state

Today, some of the castle's underground rooms are open to the public - the most memorable of these is the torture chamber installed by Charles VII in the 15th century, which still contains the shackles used to secure the ankles of prisoners during quartering. You can also see a copy of the famous cell of Louis XI, in which Bishop Balu lived for 11 long years.

The keep of the castle can only be accessed through a narrow turret with embrasures, located at a height of three meters. Apparently, there used to be a special ladder here that allowed you to climb into the tower. At the entrance, a stone spiral staircase begins, after overcoming 150 steps you can get to the roof of the donjon, from which you can see the entire territory of the fortress. From the terrace you can admire views of the fortress and the Indra River valley. Only from here can you see that the two-kilometer walls actually protect a real small town - with its streets, houses, palace and church, and distinguish the ancient part of the castle from the more recent one. The ancient and higher part was built during the era of wars, so four watchtowers are built into the wall, united by a common path at the base of the roof. The New Building displays features of the Renaissance era

Castle of Losches(Château de Loches) or Royal Town of Loches is located in the commune of Loches in the Loire Valley, department Indre and Loire. The main tower of Loches is a fortified castle in the very heart of the city, in which, in addition to the donjon, there is a royal palace and the collegiate church of Saint-Ur.

Castle, residence of Charles VII royal palace of the castle view of the castle and church

The first mention of a fortification on the site of a modern castle was noted by Ursus Cahors in 491. Then a certain Saint-Ur built a mill near the monastery until his death in 508. In 742, the entire area was captured by the troops of Pepin and Carloman, who suppressed the uprising of the Duke of Aquitaine Hunald. At that time, the fortress was razed to the ground. Later, this territory changed several owners...
On the site of donjon Loches, which is the oldest surviving main tower in the country, at first only a wooden one was built in the 9th century to protect the nearby village. It was connected to the latter by underground passages carved into the rocks.
The land belonged to the Angevin Count Fulk I the Red, who married Rosille de Loches, who brought him the fortress of Loches as a dowry. Thus was the birth of the power of the family of the Dukes of Anjou. His successor, Count Fulke Nerra, fought for many years for neighboring lands with representatives of the family of the Counts of Blois, and it was he who ordered the construction of a stone quadrangular fortress - a donjon - in place of the wooden tower. Construction began in 1005 and continued until about 1070 (according to other sources, construction was carried out from 1013 and 1035). The donjon was 25 by 15 meters in size and reached 38 meters in height, the thickness of the walls was 3 meters, loopholes were made in them, and at the top of the walls there were loopholes for firing at the attacking enemy. For this era it was virtually impregnable.
Fulke Nerra died in 1040 and was buried in the castle. The continuator of his military policy, Count Geoffroy Martel d'Anjou, eventually defeated representatives of the de Blois family at Saint-Martin-le-Beau, and this finally made it possible for the Nerra family to settle in the castle, which was surrounded by ever new fortifications. Over time, the last representative of the Nerra family married the daughter of the English king, and their son Henry II Plantagenet (1133 - 1189) ascended to the throne of England in 1154 (the Plantagenet dynasty ruled from 1154 to 1394). He surrounded the donjon with fortress walls and water ditches. A significant territory of France was in his possession. Its king (from 1180) Philip II Augustus (Philip the Crooked, August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223) managed to capture the Plantagenet territories.
The son of Henry II, king (from 1189), Richard I the Lionheart (September 8, 1157 - April 6, 1199) went on the 3rd Crusade in 1199. Then, upon returning from it, he was captured by the emperor (since 1191) of the Holy Roman Empire, who was at enmity with him, Henry VI (November 1165 - September 28, 1197) and was released by him only in February 1194 and the following month arrived in England. However, during his captivity, Philip Augustus received from Richard's brother, Prince John (Jean), a large amount of land, including the castle of Losches. June 13, 1194 Richard, who landed in France, captured it in 3 hours. After Richard's death, after a year-long siege, in 1205 Philip Augustus recaptured Loches and turned the castle into a state prison. The castle never took part in large-scale military operations again. The French king reconstructed the fortress, and later the Old Residential Building was built in the northern part of it, which entered the history of France when in June 1429 the famous maiden Joan of Arc (January 6, 1412 - May 30, 1431) persuaded the Dauphin (heir) Charles (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461) was crowned at Reims on 17 July 1429 as Charles VII.
In 1444, Charles's first favorite was Agnes (or Agnes) Sorel - “Lady of Beauty” (1421 or 1422 - February 9, 1450), who settled in the castle of Loches. She was very “sensitive” to luxury and the royal treasury suffered from this. In 1450, she died and, at her request, was buried in the church of Notre-Dame de Loches (now Saint-Ours), to which she bequeathed 2 thousand ecus in gold. Some time after the funeral, the monks turned to the heir to the French throne, Louis (July 3, 1423 - August 30, 1483, king since 1461) with a request to move her remains to the castle, but Louis replied that he would go there with her and gold. So, everything remains the same...
In the 15th century, the New Tower and the Martello Guard Tower were added to the Old Building. The royal apartments then consisted of a tower and wall built in the 13th century, several buildings with a watchtower (14th century), a hunting lodge of the 15th century; At about the same time a donjon was erected, the road from which led to the tower of St. Anthony and the donjon in the area of ​​the Cordelier Gate. There was also a chapel of Anne of Brittany (January 25, 1422 - January 1, 1514), the wife of two kings - Charles VIII (June 30, 1470 - April 7, 1498) and Louis XII (June 27, 1462 - January 1, 1515). Anna lived for some time at the castle of Losches while Charles fought in Italy.
Since the 15th century, the castle was a military prison; many famous prisoners stayed there: the famous historian Philippe de Commines (circa 1447 - October 18, 1511), diplomat and author of memoirs; Duke of Milan Lodovico Maria Sforza (July 27, 1452 - May 27, 1508), nicknamed Moro, captured in the battle of Novara, painted the ceiling and walls (images of the coat of arms, helmet and inscriptions that have survived to this day) and died in Losches ; conspirators against King Francis I (September 12, 1494 -March 31, 1547, King of France from January 1, 1515) Puy and Autun Antoinde Chabanne and Jacques Guraud, who made a mortise altar and a wall polyptych during their “stay” at the Loches castle ( consisting of many folds or planks, several paintings united by a single theme), depicting the Passion of the Lord.
During the War of Independence of the American Colonies from Great Britain (1775 - 1783), France provided military and financial assistance to the Americans, and the French King Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 - January 21, 1793) adapted Loches Castle as a prison for English prisoners.
After the Great French Revolution of 1789, soldiers of some battalions of national volunteers and the mobilized departments of Indre and Indre-et-Loire (they were formed in 1791 -1793) thought that Sorel’s grave was the grave of a saint, desecrated it by breaking the alabaster statue of Agnes and threw away her remains. In addition, the “revolutionary” soldiers plundered the castle and almost completely destroyed many of the buildings in it: the Old Residential Building, the Church of Notre-Dame des Loches, Anne’s Chapel and the prison cells. Later, the remains of Agnes were collected and moved to the Old Building and a copy of the old statue was installed above the new resting place.
However, Losches Castle remained a military prison until 1926.
Over the course of a very long time, the castle gradually fell into decay. Restoration work began in 1806, but even today some of its buildings lie in ruins. Only in 1862 did the French Ministry of Culture include the castle in the list of historical monuments. The gate of the castle wall became a similar object by decree of July 12, 1886, the old royal palace - in 1889. Part of the north-western wall running along the Rue Fosse - Saint-Ours and connecting the main gate of the castle with the base of the royal palace in the north became historical monument according to the conclusion of August 8, 1962
Nowadays, several rooms can be visited by tourists - for example, a torture chamber from the 15th century (the shackles used in quartering are kept here) and a replica of a cage from around the middle of the same century, a donjon (where there is only one entrance through a small tower with embrasures), with on the roof of which you can see a panorama of the entire fortress and the valley of the Indre River, as well as the streets, houses, palace and church of Saint-Ours of the small town.

The Loire River Valley is a real treasure trove of world architecture. There are about three hundred ancient castles, palaces and fortresses here. Loches Castle (Château de Loches) stands in the town of Loches - 50 km from Valence. It belongs to the Indre-et-Loire department. The beginning of construction of the Losh fortress dates back to the 9th century. At the top of a stone cliff in […]

The Loire River Valley is a real treasury of world architecture. There are about three hundred ancient castles, palaces and fortresses here. stands in the town Losh– 50 km from Valencay. It belongs to the department Indre and Loire.

The beginning of construction of the Losh fortress dates back to the 9th century. A wooden tower was built at that time on the top of the stone cliff. From the nearest settlement to it, a network of underground tunnels was laid through the thickness of the rock. By the beginning of the 11th century, the wooden structures were demolished. In their place, the first stone fortress was erected. The owner of the building was a warlike ruler Fulk Nerre, who spent most of his life in constant hostility with his neighbors - the counts de Blois.

From the oldest part of the fortress, a massive quadrangular donjon has survived to this day. (This tower, built in the period 1005-1070, is considered the oldest donjon in France.) Its three-meter thick walls were pierced with numerous loopholes and topped with machicolations.

Nerre himself died in 1040. His successor was Geoffroy Martel d'Ange. Geoffroy managed to finally defeat the Blois family and live peacefully in the castle. The Counts of Anjou continued the construction of the family fortress, strengthening the walls on the south side.

The last of Nerra's descendants married the daughter of the English king. The son of this couple was Henry Plantagenet. In 1154 he ascended the English throne. He immediately declared war on the French king - Philippo Augustus, who captured a significant part of the Plantagenet possessions.

A descendant of Henry II Plantagenet was Richard the Lionheart. The Austrian Emperor Henry VI took Richard prisoner upon his return from the Crusade. Philip Augustus took advantage of this circumstance and, thanks to an agreement with Richard’s brother, managed to acquire a number of family estates. These included the castle of Losches.

Only in 1195 did Richard manage to regain the castle. However, in 1205, after the death of Richard, Philip Augustus again took possession of Losches. From that time on, the castle belonged to the French crown. They began to strengthen it again. A sentinel belt was built in the northern part; the old residential building was reconstructed. During the 15th century, new residential buildings, a new tower, the Martello guard tower, a hunting pavilion and the chapel of Anne of Brittany (the latter was destroyed by rebels during the revolution) were erected.

Under the walls of the fortress, underground rooms have been preserved, where in the Middle Ages there was a prison and a torture chamber. (Today this hall with its creepy devices is open to tourists). Among the prisoners of the castle of Losches was the Duke of Milan - Lodovico Sforza, captured in the battle of Novara. During his imprisonment, he painted the vaults and walls of his prison cell with heraldic images. Legend has it that the count died on the day of his liberation.

In addition to the prison dungeon, tourists are offered a hall and chambers from the time of Charles VII, with a fireplace and unique tapestries. Restoration of the castle of Loches began in 1806; it continues today. Some parts of the ancient fortress still stand in ruins.

7 Mail du Donjon 37600 Loches, France
chateau-loches.fr‎

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The Castle of Loches (Château de Loches) is located in the Loire Valley, it is located on a hill above the Indre River. Its name comes from the Roman settlement of Lucca or Loccae. Archaeologists found gold Roman coins at this site.

The first mention in the chronicles of Loches appears in the 5th century, when, by order of the bishop of Tours, Eustache, a church was built in Loccae Saint Mary Magdalene. In 491 Ursus de Cahors, nicknamed the bear, builds a monastery and mill on the Indre River for the monks in the northern part of the present medieval city. After his death in 508, Senoch succeeded him as head of the monastery; he gave his name to the neighboring village Saint-Senoch. A wooden fortified settlement is being built on the site of the current fortress. Loches is mentioned in the chronicles in 742, when Majordomo Carloman (son of Charles Martell) and his brother Pepin the Short, who later became King of the Franks, fought against Gunald I, Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony, and captured Loches.Read more about this period of the Dark Ages in the article " The history of France from Julius Caesar to the Carolingians, or why it is dangerous to touch your wife’s butt." In 840, King Charles the Bald appointed Alalande, one of his lieutenants, as governor of Losches. His granddaughter Roscille marries Fulk I of Anjou in 887, bringing the castle of Loches as her dowry.

This is how these events are described in the “Chronicle of the Acts of the Consuls of Anjou”: “This Fulk took a wife from the county of Tours, named Rosiglia, from a noble family, the daughter of Varnerius, who at that time owned three fortresses in Touraine, namely Lochaise ( Loches), Villentrasti and Haia ), two of which Fulk subsequently misappropriated. This Varnerius, whose daughter Fulkot married, was the son of Adelaude, to whom Charles the Bald gave Losches.”

In the tenth century, there were ongoing feuds between the Counts of Blois and the Counts of Anjou, the castle of Loches turned out to be the forefront of the Angevins. Count of Anjou Geoffroy I Grisegonel fortified Loches and built the Church of Saint-Ours. He was a great warrior. When the Teutonic troops, led by Edelted ( Edelthed ), Geoffrey Gray Robe fought under the walls of the city with the most powerful German knight Berthold, brother of the Duke of Saxony, and defeated him in personal combat. As the chronicle writes: “The queen, a blood relative of Geoffrey of Anjou, sent him a piece of the belt of the blessed Virgin Mary, which was kept in her chapel - a thing that Charles the Bald brought from Byzantium; she ordered him to tie it around his neck and assured him that this would bring him victory…. The Teutons, together with their duke Edelted, returned to their lands in confusion. Geoffrey asked the king and queen for permission to return to their lands; he was given the girdle, as he wished, and he placed it in the church of the blessed Virgin Mary at Lochaise, in which he housed the canons, and which he generously endowed from his own means.”

The greatest contribution to the strengthening of the castle was made by Fulk Nerra. It was he who ordered the construction of a powerful rectangular stone donjon on this site, instead of a wooden keep. The donjon of the castle of Losches is one of the oldest of all the dungeons in France that has survived to this day. Construction of the castle's keep began in 1005. Its height is 38 meters, length 25 meters and width 15 meters. Loopholes were made in its walls, and machicolations were located at the top. The entrance to the donjon was located at a height of three meters, and it was possible to get into it only by a ladder, which was easily removed during the siege of the castle.

Fulk Nerra died in 1040 and was buried near the city of Loches in the Abbey of Beaulieu-Loches (abbaye de Beaulieu). His grave was destroyed during the revolution. Geoffrey II of Anjou continued his father's policy towards the Counts of Blois, aimed at reducing their influence and ousting them from Touraine. In 1044, at the Battle of Nuys near Saint-Martin-le-Beau, Geoffroy won a decisive victory over Blois. During the battle, Count of Blois Thibault III was captured, who transferred all rights to Touraine to the Count of Anjou.

This allowed the Counts of Anjou to settle in the castle of Loches for many years. Gradually, new fortifications were erected around the donjon. Geoffroy V Angevin becomes the husband of the daughter of the King of England. His eldest son Henry II Plantagenet became the first king of England from the Plantagenet dynasty, one of the most powerful monarchs of the 12th century, whose domains extended from the Pyrenees to Scotland (see map).

Henry II begins a war with the King of France, Philip Augustus, quarrels with his son Richard the Lionheart and goes to war with him, although he later makes peace with him and declares him his heir. In 1189, Henry II died and was buried in Fontevraud Abbey. Richard the Lionheart went on a crusade, but upon his return was captured by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, which allowed Philip Augustus to temporarily capture the castle of Loches. After returning from captivity, Richard regained Losches in 1195. In 1199, during the siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in Limousin, Richard was wounded in the neck by a crossbow. Mortally wounded, the king, at his request, was taken to Chinon Castle, where he died. After the accession of his mediocre brother John the Landless to the throne of England, the Plantagenet power in France quickly melted away. King Philip Augustus annexed one region after another to his crown. In 1205, the city of Tours and the castles of Loches and Chinon were captured.

Philip Augustus restored and strengthened the fortress; the Old Residential Building with towers and a sentinel belt was built in the northern part of the castle. It was here, after the capture of Orleans in June 1429, that Joan of Arc convinced the Dauphin Charles to be crowned the French throne in Reims.

Soon after this, Agnes Sorel settled in the castle.

Agnes Sorel became a lady-in-waiting at the court of Queen Marie of Anjou when she was just over twenty years old. There were legends about her beauty. Having once seen the fair-haired, blue-eyed Agnes, Karl was struck by her charm, that same evening he confessed his feelings to her, a month later Agnes became the favorite of Charles VII. The entire court except the queen knew about this, until one day in the halls of the royal palace she saw her rival walking with her breasts bare. The immodest behavior of the court lady outraged the well-behaved queen.

The queen's guesses were confirmed only when Agnes became pregnant, and on the day of birth the king was so worried that there could be no more doubts - adultery was obvious. Oddly enough, the queen became close to her rival, they began to walk together, go hunting, and discuss affairs in the country.

Madame Sorel gave birth to four daughters to the king, to whom her lover, despite the persuasion of those close to him, gave the family titles of Valois. It was Agnes Sorel who made it possible for not only royal males to wear diamonds, but also women; she first introduced long trains into fashion, which the church called the “devil’s tail” and forbade noble ladies from wearing them. And the neckline, which very frivolously exposed a woman’s breasts, completely aroused the indignation of those around her.

Agnes Sorel had many titles, but only one title went down in history and became inextricably linked with Agnes - the title of Madame Bothe (Lady of Beauty).

In 1450, shortly before her death, she asked to be buried in her beloved church of Notre-Dame de Loches, known today as Saint-Ours, to which she bequeathed 2 thousand gold ecus.

During the revolution, soldiers smashed the alabaster statue and desecrated the grave and its remains. In addition, the Old Residential Building, Anna's Chapel, prison cells and the Notre Dame Church suffered at the hands of the revolutionaries.

In the 15th century, the kings of France supplemented the old housing complex with new residential buildings. The Martello Guard Tower and the New Tower appear in the castle.

Coordinates: 47°07′37″ n. w. 0°59′54″ E. d. /  47.126944° s. w. 0.998333° E. d.(G) (O) (I)47.126944 , 0.998333

Castle of Losches

During the existence of the prison, many high-ranking prisoners visited here. For example, Losches' captive was the famous historian Philippe de Commines, who betrayed Louis XI by siding with a group of conspirators, but was subsequently pardoned by Charles VIII. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, also known as the Duke of Moro, was captured in the Martello Tower. As a sign of respect for the noble origin of the prisoner, Louis XII allocated him a cell with furniture and a fireplace, and also provided him with some “conveniences”, such as the company of a jester and masters. The Duke Moreau's stay here is reminiscent of the walls he painted and the elongated ceiling of the chamber, decorated with an image of a heraldic helmet, snakes and stars, as well as several wall inscriptions. Other "guests" of Losches were the bishops of Puy and Autun, Antoine de Chabannes and Jacques Huraud, who took part in the conspiracy against Francis I. During the imprisonment, the churchmen made a small carved altar and a wall polyptych depicting the Passion of the Lord.

There is one interesting legend associated with the castle of Losches, which may well turn out to be true. Rumor has it that at one time the owner of the Pontbrillant castle, having heard enough stories about mysterious underground rooms and caves near Loches (where rock was once mined), ordered to break open several ancient walled doors. After passing through many galleries dug into the rock, Pontbrillant found himself at a dead end in front of a closed room. Opening the door, he initially recoiled sharply, seeing a tall man in a sitting position, with his head in his hands, but since he did not move, the owner of the castle came closer and saw that it was a corpse that had turned into a mummy thanks to the dry air of the prison cell. A few moments later, the wind rushed in from outside, instantly turning him into dust. In addition to the mysterious mummy, Pontbrillant also discovered a small chest containing neatly folded clothes. Some experts believe that the bones of the mysterious prisoner preserved in the Church of Notre Dame prove that this legend may be true.

Today, some of the castle's underground rooms are open to the public - the most memorable of these is the torture chamber installed by Charles VII in the 15th century, which still contains the shackles used to secure the ankles of prisoners during quartering. You can also thoroughly examine a copy of the famous cell of Louis XI, in which Bishop Balu lived for 11 long years.

The donjon of Losches Castle can only be accessed through a narrow turret with embrasures, located at a height of three meters. Apparently, there used to be a special ladder here that allowed you to climb into the tower. At the entrance, a stone spiral staircase begins, after overcoming 150 steps you can get to the roof of the donjon, from which the entire territory of the fortress is perfectly visible. The history of the castle of Loches is clearly visible from the terrace, from which you can admire a magnificent view of the fortress and the valley of the Indre river. Only from here can you see that the two-kilometer walls actually protect a real small town - with its streets, houses, palace and church. In addition, if you look at the castle, you can easily distinguish its ancient part from the later one. The ancient and higher part was built during the era of wars, so four watchtowers are built into the wall, united by a common path at the base of the roof. In the New Building one can easily discern the features of the Renaissance era.

Large-scale restoration work began only in 1806, and in 1861 the castle of Loches was classified by the French Ministry of Culture as a significant monument of French history. Losches Castle was included in the state list of historical monuments in 1861.

See also

Links

• (Russian) Losches Castle
• (French) Data from the Ministry of Culture about the Castle of Loches
• (French) Photos on the website of the Ministry of Culture