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| Château d'Angers | |
|---|---|
| Angers, France | |
 The south façade | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Medieval castle |
| Website | www |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 47°28′12″N0°33′36″W / 47.470°N 0.560°W /47.470; -0.560 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 9th and early 13th centuries |
| Built by | Blanche of Castile, Regent |
| Events | Minority ofLouis IX of France |
TheChâteau d'Angers is acastle in the city ofAngers in theLoire Valley, in thedépartement ofMaine-et-Loire, in France. Founded in the 9th century by theCounts of Anjou, it was expanded to its current size in the 13th century. It is located overhanging the RiverMaine. It is a listedhistorical monument since 1875.[1] Now open to the public, the Château d'Angers is home of theApocalypse Tapestry.
Originally, the Château d'Angers was built as a fortress at a site inhabited by theRomans because of its strategic defensive location.[2]
In the 9th century, theBishop of Angers gave theCounts of Anjou permission to build a castle in Angers.[3] The construction of the first castle begun under CountFulk III (970–1040), celebrated for his construction of dozens of castles, who built it to protectAnjou from theNormans.[4] It became part of theAngevin Empire of thePlantagenet Kings of England during the 12th century. In 1204, the region was conquered byPhilip II and the new castle was constructed during the minority of his grandson,Louis IX ("Saint Louis") in the early part of the 13th century. Louis IX rebuilt the castle in whitestone and black slate, with 17 semicircular towers.[4] The construction undertaken in 1234 cost 4,422 livres, roughly one per cent of the estimated royal revenue at the time.[5] Louis gave the castle to his brother,Charles in 1246.[6]
In 1352, KingJohn II, gave the castle to his second son,Louis who later became count of Anjou. Married to the daughter of the wealthyCharles, Duke of Brittany, Louis had the castle modified, and in 1373 commissioned the famousApocalypse Tapestry from the painterHennequin de Bruges and the Parisian tapestry-weaverNicolas Bataille.Louis II (Louis I's son) andYolande d'Aragon added a chapel (1405–12) and royal apartments to the complex. The chapel is asainte chapelle, the name given to churches which enshrined a relic of thePassion. The relic at Angers was a splinter of the fragment of theTrue Cross which had been acquired byLouis IX.[4]
In the early 15th century, the haplessdauphin who, with the assistance ofJoan of Arc would become KingCharles VII, had to flee Paris and was given sanctuary at the Château d'Angers.
In 1562,Catherine de' Medici had the castle restored as a powerful fortress, but, her son,Henry III, reduced the height of the towers and had the towers and walls stripped of their embattlements; Henry III used the castle stones to build streets and develop the village of Angers. Nonetheless, under threat of attacks from theHuguenots, the king maintained the castle's defensive capabilities by making it a military outpost and by installing artillery on the château's upper terraces. At the end of the 18th century, as a military garrison, it showed its worth when its thick walls withstood a massive bombardment by cannons from theVendean army. Unable to do anything else, the rebels simply gave up.
A military academy was established in the castle to train young officers in the strategies of war.Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, best known for defeatingNapoleon Bonaparte at theBattle of Waterloo, was trained at the Military Academy of Angers.[7] The academy was moved toSaumur and the castle was used for the rest of the 19th century as aprison,powdermagazine, andbarracks.[7]
The castle continued to be used as an armory through theFirst[8] andSecond World Wars. It was severely damaged during World War II by theNazis when an ammunition storage dump inside the castle exploded.
On 10 January 2009, the castle suffered severe damage from an accidental fire due to short-circuiting. The Royal Logis, which contains old tomes and administrative offices, was the most heavily damaged part of the château, resulting in 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) of the roof being completely burnt. The Tapestries of the Apocalypse were not damaged. Total damages were estimated at 2 million Euros. According toChristine Albanel, theMinister of Culture, the expected date of completion for the restoration was the second trimester of 2009.
Today, owned by the City of Angers, the massive, austere castle has been converted to a museum housing the oldest and largest collection of medievaltapestries in the world, with the 14th-century "Apocalypse Tapestry" as one of its priceless treasures. As a tribute to its fortitude, the castle has never been taken by any invading force in history.
| Tourists visiting Château d'Angers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Visitor numbers[9] | 173,702 | 168,806 | 171,404 | 170,991 | 160,583 | 171,378 |
| Tourist receipts[10] | €597,939 | €601,754 | €599,258 | €553,324 | €582,120 | €593,759 |
The outer wall is 3 metres (9.8 ft) thick, extends for about 660 m (2,170 ft) and is protected by seventeen massive towers. Each of the perimeter towers measures 18 m (59 ft) in diameter.[3] The château covers an area of 20,000 square metres (220,000 sq ft).[6] Two pairs of towers form the city and landward entrances of the château. Each of the towers was once 40 metres (130 ft) in height, but they were later cut down for the use of artillery pieces. The Tour du Moulin is the only tower which conserves the original elevation.
