24 July 2006

La Chartreuse du Liget

La Chartreuse du Liget was a monastery founded by Henri II Plantagenêt near Loches in the 12th century as penance for the murder of the archbishop of Canturbury, Thomas à Beckett. The original buildings were mostly dismantled by the end of the 18th century.

La Chartreuse du Liget, near Loches in Touraine

What you see today is the 18th century buildings that replaced the old monastery. Significant ruins of the 12th-century church remain, however, along with the remains of a huge old cloister.

Ruins of the old church at Le Liget, with more recent buildings in the background

Another shot of the ruins with the adjacent 18th-century buildings


An 18th-century gatehouse on the property at Le Liget

This barrel-shaped fountain caught my eye.

What remains of an old cloister at Le Liget

2 comments:

  1. So all Henri II Plantagenêt had to do to get away with murder was build a monastery? Such a deal!
    Chris P

    ReplyDelete
  2. One of the books says having Le Liget built was "part of his penance"...

    ReplyDelete

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