Description of the attraction
Angers Castle is located in the French department of Maine et Loire. The castle is located in the city of the same name and stands on the River Men. During the Roman Empire, defensive fortifications were located on this site.
In the 9th century, the episcopate of Angers allowed the Counts of Anjou to build a castle in the city. In the XII century, this territory became part of the continental lands of England, which was then ruled by the Plantagenet dynasty. In 1204, King Philip II of France conquered the County of Anjou, and the Castle of Angers was expanded during the regency of Blanca of Castile, mother of King Louis IX of Saint. This reconstruction of the castle, which took place in 1234, cost more than 4 thousand French livres. In 1246, Louis handed the castle over to his brother, Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily.
In 1352, King John II the Good handed over the Angersky castle to his youngest son Louis I of Anjou, who again rebuilt the castle. At the same time, its main value appeared in the castle - a series of tapestries representing scenes of the Revelation of John the Theologian, known as the "Angersk Apocalypse". These tapestries were commissioned by the Parisian court weaver Nicolas Bataille in 1373, and sketches for them were created by the Dutch artist Jean de Bondole.
In 1405-1412, the son of Louis I - Louis II of Anjou added the royal apartments and chapel to the castle. This chapel was named holy because it contains one of the relics of the Passion of Christ - a fragment of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The relic was acquired by the French King Louis IX the Saint.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the young Dauphin Charles, the future king of France Charles VII, found refuge in the Anzher castle. In 1562, under Catherine de Medici, the Angers castle again took the form of an impregnable fortress, but several years later, during the reign of her son, King Henry III, the towers and walls of the castle were greatly reduced in size, and the remaining stone was used to build and fortify the city of Angers itself. However, the Anzher Castle was able to withstand numerous attacks by the Huguenot troops, since the king set up a guard post in the castle and installed artillery on the towers.
The Anzher castle was able to prove its defensive significance even after several centuries - at the end of the 18th century, the thick walls of the castle withstood a long cannon fire during the Vendée rebellion.
Then there was a military academy for officers at Angersky Castle, where, for example, the great English commander Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, known for his victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, was trained.
Throughout its history, Angersky Castle has never been captured by enemy troops, but it was seriously destroyed during World War II - an ammunition depot was blown up. And in 2009, due to a short circuit in the castle, a fire broke out - part of the roof burned down, valuable tomes from the royal apartments were damaged.
Now the castle belongs to the city of Angers. Parts of the rampart, the chapel and the gallery of tapestries "Angerskiy Apocalypse" are open for visiting. You can also climb the Mill Tower for a top view of the city.
