This is a village that's just 2½ miles (4 kilometers) from Saint-Aignan. It was founded nearly 2,000 years ago as a villa gallo-romaine — an agricultural domaine with a lord and his serfs. Nowdays it has a population of just over 500 and the commune has an area of about 33 km² (12 mi²), including more than 500 acres of AOC vineyards and 2,500 acres of forest. The area was invaded three times during it's first 1000 years of existence, first by the Franks, later by the Visigoths, and finally by the Vikings. The villa was fortified in the fourth century. Those fortifications were torn down in the 1360s and replaced by a gentilhommière (a comfortable manor house) 25 years later...
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I thought it might have been Angé, but it doesn’t seem to fit. Je donne ma langue au chat. Bertie, are you there?
ReplyDeleteBertie! Give chm’s tongue back to him!
DeleteIn the face of BerryAnn’s entreaties(wow!), Bertie gave me my tongue back and told me the name of that place. He reminded me that I’ve been there several times with Ken and that the chateau was turned into some kind of nursing home. That sweet cat knows everything.
DeleteThe manor house is sited to enjoy the view now that it’s no longer needed to fend off Visigoths, etc. Is picture #2 a communal wash house? It’s too early to think of the French word.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's called un lavoir.
DeleteGood to see you back, chm!
ReplyDeleteVery cool history, Ken. Amazing to think about.
Thank you Judy. Did you see on Walt’s my comment on massif?
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