The French king Louis XI had the Château de Langeais built in the late 1400s, after the 100 Years' War had ended, to replace an older château there. Langeais was at a strategic point on the Loire river, on the western edge of Touraine and near the eastern edge of territory controlled by the Comte d'Anjou. Louis XI, who reigned from 1461 to 1483, had moved the French royal court to Tours at the time.
The Cadogan Loire guidebook calls Langeais "stern" and says its towers "cast their sinister shadows over
the town houses around them." It's "a vilain of a Loire château," the guidebook's author writes.
I've never been inside, but the Cadogan guidebook says of the interior that Langeais "has one of the richest
along the Loire, full of fine furnishings and, in particular, glorious tapestries."
Langeais is just 15 miles from Tours and just five miles from Azay-le-Rideau and Villandry.
It's on my list now for a future tour to see the tapestries.
The chateau is right smack in the middle of town, as I recall, so you can’t have a good look at the exterior.
ReplyDeleteYou managed to get some good photos. I'm looking forward to when you post the photos of the tapestries. That will mean the confinement has finally ended. We are hoping Omicron is on the decline now.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope that day comes soon.
DeleteI let out a double, "WOW!" when I saw that top photo of the street leading up to the château, through the town. What a view! You did capture some great photos... once again, French-4 will be seeing these, as we are just beginning our Val de Loire unit :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you might be able to use my photos or posts with your classes.
DeleteI like how it's mixed in with the town, so it's a dramatic part of the streetscape. Wherever you turn, you see the towers.
ReplyDeleteI too like the way the Langeais château is integrated into the town. In other places, like Saint-Aignan, Blois, Amboise, Luynes, and (upcoming) Saumur, the château is on high ground and the town is sort of separate and far below.
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