Amazing castles, elegant manor houses and
extravagant buildings–the former province boasts twelve hundred châteaux and
stately homes! A permanent backdrop of towers, steeples and ramparts that give
an immediate interest to even the smallest village. There is no doubt about it;
we are indeed in the Loire Valley.
Anjou has two outstanding châteaux, one
in Angers and the other in Saumur. Both started as true defensive castles but
Saumur gradually took on the more homely look and function of a château. While
Angers castle overlooks the Maine, Saumur gazes out across the Loire. There are
60 other châteaux, manor houses and country estates that are also open to the
public. Notable for its height is the château at Brissac; for its stunning
architecture, the château at Serrant; as the favourite residence of King René,
the château at Baugé; and famed as the setting of a love story by Dumas, the
château at Montsoreau. The château at Plessis-Bourré is the castle of fairy
tales while Angers castle is where the history of France and England was
written.
Angers
Brissac
A thousand years ago, the bellicose Fulk
lll founded the House of Anjou. This was to have a significant influence for
three centuries. During this time the province’s main castles were built. Two
centuries later, King Louis IX (Saint Louis) built Angers, the most heavily
fortified and imposing castle in the Loire valley. The Plantagenets (who took
over the English crown) continued the building spree with more castles, bridges
and protective embankments along the river. In the fifteenth century, René of
Anjou became king of the province and was known fondly as “Good King René”. He
went on to turn castles into châteaux and influenced a trend for Italianate
manor houses.
After the French Revolution (1789), an architect, René Hodé,
introduced a neo-gothic style and oversaw the construction of splendid edifices
across Anjou while other architects turning their talents to more modest
buildings. The province contains a whole history of architectural styles
displayed at their best. Among the stately homes that were built, many are
still lived in by families that have been there for hundreds of years. Brissac,
Serrant, Montgeoffroy, Montreuil-Bellay, la Lorie, and le Plessis-Bourré are
all homes where generations have contributed to collections of furniture,
objet-d’art and paintings that now bring history to life.
Châteaux open to the public also offer additional attractions. At Montsoreau a
show “Stories of the Loire” is played to great effect, while Saumur has a
number of museums, Angers has its Apocalypse Tapestry, and Baugé and le
Plessis-Macé host the Anjou Festival.
Last but by no means least, at the châteaux of Brézé, Durtal and
Challain-la-Potherie you will enjoy a memorable experience as owners with a
passion for history bring sleeping beauty to life and reveal stories written in
the dust of time.
