The Eglise Saint-Ours in Loches, up in the cité médiévale near the donjon and the Logis Royal, has as its most notable feature two octagonal towers on the church's central roof (one is visible). They are called dubes, a word that's not in the dictionaries. They were built in the mid-1100s, and they are hollow inside. The great 19th-century architect and restorer of medieval buildings Viollet-le-Duc called the church at Loches « un édifice d'une étrange et sauvage beauté, unique au monde ».
The church's other notable feature is the white marble tomb of Agnès Sorel, the first "official" mistress of a French king, who lived in the mid-1400s and was known as the most beautiful woman in France. She died mysteriously before the age of 30 after giving the king three daughters who were "legitimized" after the fact and recognized as princesses.
P.S. My source for all this is French Wikipedia.
P.S. My source for all this is French Wikipedia.
those naughty french girls - ooooh la la! and the church doesn't look a day over 900!
ReplyDeleteAren't. the dubesthe two small ones between the two larger towers, only one of which can be seen in this photo?
ReplyDeleteThat's right, CHM.
DeleteI'm thinking of you right now, I'm cooking carottes bourguignonnes!
DeleteJ'ai acheté des carottes au supermarché ce matin. Alors ta recette m'intéresse. Vin rouge... ? Lardons... ?
DeleteMy theory is that you are meant to misread the doubs as being part of an enormous and impressive western portal (rather than the roof of the nave) - when you approach Loches from the north it is what you see first, and the orientation of the church (ne-sw) meants that a new arrival wouldnt be too sure what they are seeing
ReplyDeleteThanks for clarifying chm and Ken. I wasn't sure what part was the dube. Never heard of that term before!
ReplyDeleteHere is another photo of the church.
DeleteWow, that is wild!
DeleteAgnes Sorel may not have been a royal wife, but all the royal families of Europe are descended from her, according to the family tree in the Logis Royal. Though if you go back far enough we're all related, I suppose. P.
ReplyDeletePauline, I've heard that one out of two French people is descended from Charlemagne. So am I. I'm sorry for my brother!
DeleteI remember we went there. Nice town!
ReplyDelete