Angers

Apocalypse Tapestry, Angers, Jean Bondol and Nicholas Bataille, 1377 – 1382

The Art of French Tapestry Making – The Apocalypse

Britannica

Angers, city, capital of Maine-et-Loire département, Pays de la Loire région, western France. Angers is the former capital of Anjou and lies along the Maine River 5 miles (8 km) above the latter’s junction with the Loire River, northeast of Nantes. The old city is on the river’s left bank, with three bridges crossing to Doutre.

**Maine River**The Maine River flowing through Angers, France.Denis Pithon

Capital of the Andecavi, a Gallic tribe of the state of Andes, the ancient town became Juliomagus under the Romans. The succession of counts of Anjou began in the 9th century, and the rule of the Plantagenets was marked in Angers by the construction of magnificent monuments, of which the French Hôpital Saint-Jean (now housing an archaeological museum) is the most striking. The city’s massive, moated château, whose 17 towers are from 130 to 190 feet (40 to 58 metres) high, was built in 1230 on the site of earlier castles; it houses the late 14th-century Apocalypse series of tapestries (woven by Nicholas Bataille). Despite the damage of past wars, particularly World War II, Angers is still rich in medieval architecture. The 12th–13th-century cathedral of Saint-Maurice retains its original stained glass. The 15th-century Barrault House contains the public library, an art museum, and the complete works of the sculptor Pierre-Jean-David d’Angers, who was born in the city. The prefecture is in the former Saint-Aubin Abbey (11th century), which has Roman arcades. The medieval Universitas Andegavensis was refounded in 1876 as the Catholic Faculty of the West.

**Angers: Cathedral of Saint-Maurice**Cathedral of Saint-Maurice, Angers, France.© Christian Musat/Fotolia

The city’s traditional industries such as slate quarrying, distilling, rope and cable manufacture, and weaving have been supplemented by electronics, photographic equipment, and elevators. Pop. (1999) 151,279; (2014 est.) 151,056.

From BnF, France Archives – New Plan of the City of Angers

Enriched with the Map of the Surroundings and the Perspective of the City With its Principal Houses Raised by the care of the Mayors and Aldermen and Perpetual Councilors of the Town Hall brought to light in 1736

NouveauPlanAngers page3

Google Maps – Angers

Fontevraud-l’Abbaye – L’Abbaye Contemporary Installation

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The exhibition – Abbaye de Fontevraud : Jean Genet, figure centrale

Nantes Parks – Parc de la Beaujoire – Roseraie in Spring

Grand old gardens seem to assert the outer borders of Nantes in each direction but it is to the North that is located a roseraie for all seasons with ample flowering year round, old roses in their delicate majesty in the warmer months aside hardy new roses which still flower in the cold months.

Roseraie roses and perfume …

Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’ or Rose de Provins

Using its flowers, as raw material, the apothecaries of Provins specialized, in the sixteenth century, in the preparation of powder, water, perfume, oil, jam. This commerce flourished to the extent that around the year 1600 the main street of this city was only open to apothecaries.

Rosa damascena ‘Trigintipetala’ or Rose of Kasanlik

Bulgaria has cultivated this rose for several centuries for perfumery. Other countries (Turkey, Morocco, India, China) also exploit this flower for its fragrance.

Rosa x centifolia or Rose hundred leaves (Rose with a hundred petals)

Cultivated in France in the Alpes Maritimes, this rose provides the most esteemed fragrance. The French production in 1990 amounting to nearly 320 tons of flowers.

The perfumes
Roses exhale fragrances of varying quality and intensity that sometimes influence the soil and climate. If Kasanlik’s rose and the rose of the painters smell pink, Golden Sun has a spicy smell. Other roses release bouquets of scents: apple and clove (Souvenir de la Malmaison), iris and violet (Maréchal Niel), rose and parsley (Mrs John Laing), anise (Paul Ricard).

Award of Garden Excellence
During the inauguration of the 10th Biennial of Fragrant Rose, on June 18, 2010, Mr. Maurice Jay, President of the French Rose Society, presents to the public the plaque of the Award of Garden Excellence, awarded by the World Federation of Societies de Roses in 2009, designating the International Rose Garden of Nantes as one of the 4 most beautiful in France (after the Haÿe les Roses in 1995, the Golden Head in 2006 and Bagatelle in 2007) and among the 35 remarkable rose gardens in the world.

To discover in the rose garden …

The alveoli
To accentuate the privileged contact with the roses, the designer drew paths symbolizing a branch of rose with its ramifications, its thorns and its flowers.

This route allows two complementary approaches:
– by taking the gravel circulations, the visitor perceives all the massifs with their modeling and their colors,
– using paved alleys, he enters the world of roses. The enthusiast has the leisure to seize the beauty, to capture the perfume, to know the name of each of them and to photograph his favorites.

The Ellipse of the medalists
Within this ellipse exposed to the South and sheltered from the wind are gathered the roses that constitute the ‘Top 50’ of the new varieties.

The belvedere
From this high point of the Roseraie, the view extends to the city center and, it is easy to appreciate the privileged site that occupies the park on the banks of the Erdre. This beautiful river, punctuated with castles, ranked ‘great national site’, promotes river tourism and water activities.

The Alley of Fragrances
This showcases rosebushes from the Nantaise Rose fragrance, whether award-winning or not, but always remarkable for their scent.

The Clos des Roses Parfumées
This forms an elliptical arena where the sweetest scents are confronted. Le Clos has been specially designed for the International Rose Perfume Contest using the model of this former artisanal quarry sheltered from the East winds.

The architecture takes up the theme of the Rose Garden.

The materials are of the same nature:
– Pontchâteau stone for the pavement of the Rose Garden (work done by the gardeners of the SEVE) which covers an area of about 4,000 m2
– Pont Aven stone for the walls
– ironwork
– wood.

The Fan
The geometric design, inspired by an arabesque, consists of three varieties of roses. By their arrangement in ‘rainbow’, they create a variation of colors from yellow to dark red.

The Alley of ‘Old Glories’
Here are grouped the most deserving old roses, called for the occasion ‘the Old Glories’. Many of them offer a unique and generous bloom in May-June. The roses producing a second bloom at the end of summer (so-called ‘rising roses’) did not enter the gardens until the end of the 19th century.

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Google Maps – Parc Floral Roseraie

Montsoreau – Ville

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Google Maps – Montsoreau

Montsoreau – Château

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Nantes – Rezé

A walk to La Poste is to experience a street that has been under repair for seven years and now one of the final stages is taking place in the form of block work that has a team of tradespeople bending all day as they meticulously cut and place stones. This artful mosaic of granite seems to be a statement of trust in a work that shouldn’t need touching for another 100 years. No wonder the underlying infrastructure would need to be deliberated over for so long but the end result is testimony to the respect given to these historical streets in French towns and cities.

On my way into Nantes I prefer to walk one stop back to the terminus at Rezé, adding time just to experience the grass tramlines. What could be considered mundane zones in France are treated with attention and expense elevating their status for the appreciation by pedestrians and motorists. A dry corner car park has the added value of a cooling grid canopy of pruned greenery and is located opposite contemporary shards, large rusted metal sculptures strewn in the grass at the entry point to the Reze commune. Shabby wild flowers are intentional, carpeting the tramlines once the line turns the corner towards Nantes a couple of km away. Every French town has a boulangerie and the geometry of this bold yellow building sits well within the precinct, adding a sense of exuberance to an area otherwise dominated by plain multi story accommodation.

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Google Maps – Reze

Nantes Parks

Maine et Loire 49

Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791. It was created from most of the former province of Anjou. Its present name is drawn from the Maine and Loire Rivers, which meet within the department.

Maine et Loire

Map of Maine et Loire

Loire-Atlantique 44

Loire-Atlantique is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally, it was named Loire-Inférieure, but its name was changed in 1957 to Loire-Atlantique.

The area is part of the historical Duchy of Brittany, and contains what many people still consider to be Brittany’s capital, Nantes. However, when the system of French Regions was reviewed by the Vichy Government, the department was excluded from the Region of Brittany and included in the newly created Pays de la Loire Region.

While these administrative changes were reversed after the war, they were re-implemented in the 1955 boundary changes intended to optimise the management of the regions. There has since been a series of campaigns reflecting a strong local mood to have the department reintegrated with Brittany.

Nantes is nestled on the Loire estuary, the longest river in France and last wild river in Europe. Here, the river is still influenced by the tides, and flows in both directions! The giant cranes still bear witness to the intense port activity which the city experienced up until the mid-20^th century. Nowadays, the Loire acts as a backdrop for cultural activities, provides a haven for protected animals and plants and beckons people to enjoy the nearby beaches and coastline for relaxing or water sports.

As a city that was once home to the Dukes of Brittany, Nantes – a city which is Breton at heart – embodies the history of an area of transition between the countryside and the sea, between Brittany and the Loire, and between the roots of identity and the openness to discovery.

Google Maps – Loire Atlantique

Nantes – Château – Château de Bretagne

From the official website of Château de Bretagne

The monument

Set in the historic heart of Nantes, the Château des ducs de Bretagne is the city’s most important historic building, along with the Cathedral St. Pierre. When looking at it from the city, it is a fortress with 500 metres of curtain walls punctuated by seven towers, all linked by a sentry walkway. The inner courtyard reveals an elegant 15th century ducal residence made of tufa stone, in flamboyant gothic style and bearing the first traces of Renaissance inspiration, as well as other buildings dating back from the 16th and the 18th centuries. With their elegant white stone walls and sophisticated sculpted façades, they contrast strikingly with the rough textures of the exterior fortifications, made of granite blocks and separated by layers of schist.

History

The first ducal castle was built in the 13th century on top of the (still visible) Gallo-Roman wall of the town, where the Namnetes settled. It was demolished in the 15th century to make way for the present building. The current castle was the work of Francis II, the last Duke of an independent Brittany, who wanted to make the Château des ducs de Bretagne both a military fortress, which could act as a defence against the King, and the principal residence of the ducal court. Work was continued by Duchess Anne of Brittany, twice Queen of France through her marriages to Charles VIII and Louis XII. Her influence can be seen in the sculptural décor (dormer windows overlooking the main residence, as well as the coat of arms and loggias on the “Golden Crown” tower), marked by the first signs of the Italian Renaissance.

Following the integration of Brittany into France in 1532, during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Château des ducs de Bretagne became the residence of the kings of France when they visited Brittany, and later a military barracks, an arsenal, and a prison. For three centuries, it endured countless transformations and considerable damage: fortifications, a fire in 1670, construction of the Military Saddlery (Bâtiment du Harnachement) for storing artillery equipment, an explosion in 1800, and so on.

Listed as a historical monument in 1862, it was sold by the government to the City of Nantes in 1915 before also becoming, in 1924, a municipal museum. During World War II, the occupying German forces built a bunker there.

The renovation

The 1990s focussed on restoring the Jacobins’ Tower (Tour des Jacobins), the façades of the Principal Governor’s Palace (Grand Gouvernement – 15c/17c) and the 15th century Golden Crown Tower (Tour de la Couronne d’Or). The Military Saddlery (Harnachement – 18c) refurbished in 1997, was used for temporary exhibitions.

In 2000 work began on restoring the white tufa façades of the main ducal residence (Grand Logis – 15c) to their full glory. These are the oldest and most impressive sections of the building, providing a link between the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany and the Loire Châteaux. The bell tower has been rebuilt and the spires have been replaced on the Golden Crown Tower (Tour de la Couronne d’Or). The interior of the ducal residence has also been completely restored and redeveloped to house the museum.

The restoration has brought out the full power of the Breton feudal fortress and the elegance of the Renaissance ducal palace.

The castle reopened in 2007.