I've taken pictures in Loches a few times over the years, so I thought I'd dust a few of them off and post them, even if I've posted them before. There are two distinct buildings in this view. On the right is a corner of the renaissance château built on a bluff above the center of the city. On the left is the Tour Saint-Antoine, the bell tower of a chapel that's long gone.
The top of the Tour Saint-Antoine seen from the bluff above the city of Loches, September 2003.
The chapel and its bell tower were built in the sixteenth century at what was then the northern edge of the city. After the French Revolution, the tower served as the city's bell tower until it was "decommissioned" in the early nineteenth century following a lightning strike that weakened the structure. The tower remains a nationally listed historic monument.
There's something oddly modern about this photo. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the place used for nowadays? concerts? mass? tours?
ReplyDeleteLovely photo, thanks. Loches is a must see for me the next time I’m in France.
ReplyDeleteI was out yesterday so missed the perfect pup picture. She is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThere's something very poignant about quasi-abandoned structures like that bell tower, and this one looks especially two-dimensional. Perhaps there are ghosts nearby or inside, remembering the good old days when things were as they should be and the bells range out regularly.
ReplyDeletemitch, hmmmm...
ReplyDeletemichael, it's just a tower, and once a year people can go up inside for the views. The château is (normally) open for people to see, and there are often some kind of special exhibitions inside.
bettyann, it's a pretty town.
emm, make the renaissance great again!