Loches Castle - how to get from Paris, France. Modern Loches Castle

The medieval castle of Loches (Château de Loches) is located in the center of the royal city of the same name, located in the department of Indre-et-Loire. Its architectural complex was recognized as a historical monument back in 1861 and is under the care of the state.

History details

In the ninth century the lands in the vicinity belonged to one of the most warlike and powerful feudal lords of France, Count Anjou Fulk the Red. By this time, the first mention of the Loches castle, which was then a wooden donjon that protected the nearest village, dates back.

The stone castle was built under his no less ambitious successor Fulk Nerra. Its construction began in 1005 and continued for several decades until 1070. It was a square fortress with a powerful impregnable donjon with machicols 38 m high and walls about 3 m thick. Other military, household and residential buildings were gradually built around it.

In the XII century. the owners of the castle were involved in a bloody confrontation between the Plantagenets and the French royal dynasty. The castle of Loches changed owners several times over several decades, before in 1205 it again did not return to the possession of the French monarch for a long time.

After the capture of Losh, Philip Augustus made a lot of efforts to restore and strengthen the castle. Under him, the Old Castle Building with towers and a watch platform was built. It was in this citadel that in 1429 Joan of Arc convinced the heir to the French throne, Charles, to be crowned in Reims.

There is also at least one other famous woman associated with the castle. At the beginning of the XV century. Agnes Sorel, the mistress of Charles VII, spent several years there. Within the walls of the old castle building there is also her grave, on the tombstone of which there is an alabaster statue.

In the XV century. additional living quarters, the guard tower of Martel, the New Tower and the hunting pavilion were built to the old castle. To the right of the royal residence on its northern side is the chapel of A. de Breton, built in the High Gothic style. In 1529-1572, the only Renaissance bell tower in Touraine, 52 m high, was built on the territory of the castle and was called the Tower of St. Anthony.

In the XVIII century. when France became an ally of the Americans in the war for the independence of the North American colonies with the English kingdom, Loches Castle became a prison for British prisoners. The ancient citadel was subjected to great destruction during the revolutionary events of the end of this century, the consequences of which have not been completely eliminated even now.

Visiting the castle and park

From the premises of the castle open today for visiting, the dungeons of the castle of Loches are of great interest to tourists, which in the medieval era served as a reliable prison for a long time. In its cellars in different years were the Duke of Milan Lodovico Sforza, captured in the Battle of Novara, the participants in the conspiracy against Francis I, Bishops Jacques Guro and Antoine de Chabany. During a tour of its cellars, they visit a 15th-century torture chamber, which contains many torture instruments.

Through a narrow passage, tourists enter the most ancient part of the castle - its donjon. In order to climb to the upper platform, you need to go through 150 steps of a spiral staircase. From here you can see the entire panorama of the castle with the church of Saint-Ur, the new building in the Renaissance style and other numerous buildings surrounded by a two-kilometer wall.

In the southeastern part of the castle is the royal residence, the construction of which was completed in the 16th century. It consists of two buildings with a strict design of facades and the A. Sorel Tower adjoining them. It was often visited by King Charles VI and especially spent time by Charles VII.


Near the main staircase of the mansion of the owner of the castle, there are statues of dogs with which the kings went hunting. Some of its windows are decorated with stained-glass windows with portraits of Agnes Sorel and Charles VII. Its chambers and halls contain magnificent collections of tapestries, paintings, furniture and weapons.

As part of their acquaintance with the castle of Loches, tourists have access to the church of Saint-Ur of the XII century located very close to it. It is interesting for its unusual octagonal turrets and a unique portal with a relief depicting animals and monsters from a medieval bestiary.

Near the walls of the castle of Loches there is a small garden area, divided into four parts. In the Seigneurial Garden (Le jardin seigneurial) the Monastic Garden (Le jardin de monastère) was intended for growing medicinal plants, in the peasant garden (Le jardin de paysan) grapes were cultivated, apples, pears and various vegetables grew. For the defenders of the castle, the Secret Garden (Le jardin secre) was of particular importance - aconite grew in it, from which poison for arrows was obtained.

How to get there

Ticket price

• Adult: 8.50 €
• Discounted: 6.50 €

The Loire Valley is a real treasure trove of world architecture. There are about three hundred ancient castles, palaces and fortresses here. Loches Castle (Château de Loches) stands in the town of Loches - 50 km from Valencay. It belongs to the department of Indre-et-Loire. The beginning of the construction of the Losh fortress dates back to the 9th century. At the top of a stone cliff at that […]

The Loire Valley is a real treasure trove of world architecture. There are about three hundred ancient castles, palaces and fortresses here. stands in the town losh– 50 km from Valencay. It belongs to the department Indre and Loire.

The beginning of the construction of the Losh fortress dates back to the 9th century. At that time, a wooden tower was built on top of a stone cliff. From the nearest settlement to it, a network of underground tunnels was laid through the thickness of the rock. By the beginning of the 11th century, the wooden structures were demolished. In their place, the first stone fortress was erected. The owner of the building was a warlike ruler Fulk Nerre, who spent most of his life in constant hostility with his neighbors - counts de Blois.

From the oldest part of the fortress to our time, a massive quadrangular donjon has been preserved. (This tower, built in the period 1005-1070, is considered the oldest donjon in France.) Its three-meter-thick walls were pierced with numerous loopholes, crowned with machicolations.

Nerre himself died in 1040. His successor was Geoffroy Martel d'Ange. Geoffroy managed to finally defeat the Blois family and live quietly in the castle. The Counts of Anjou continued the construction of the family fortress, strengthening the walls on the south side.

The last of the descendants of Nerra married the daughter of the English king. The son of this married couple was Heinrich Plantagenet. In 1154 he acceded to the English throne. Immediately he declared war on the French king - Philip-August, who captured a significant part of the possessions of the Plantagenets.

He was a descendant of Henry II Plantagenet Richard the Lionheart. The Austrian Emperor Henry VI took Richard prisoner upon his return from the Crusade. This circumstance was taken advantage of by Philip Augustus, who, thanks to an agreement with Richard's brother, managed to get a number of family estates. Loches Castle was among them.

Only in 1195 did Richard manage to regain the castle again. However, in 1205, after the death of Richard, Philip-Augustus again took possession of Loches. Since that time, the castle belonged to the French crown. It began to be strengthened again. A sentinel belt was built in the northern part; the old residential building was reconstructed. During the 15th century, new residential buildings were erected, a new tower, the Martello guard tower, a hunting pavilion and the chapel of Anna of Brittany (the latter was destroyed by the rebels during the revolution).

Under the walls of the fortress, underground rooms have been preserved, where in the Middle Ages there were a prison and a torture chamber. (Today, this hall, with its creepy contraptions, is open to tourists.) Among the prisoners of the castle of Loches was the Duke of Milan - Lodovico Sforza, captured in the battle of Novara. During his imprisonment, he painted the vaults and walls of the prison cell with heraldic images. The legend says that the count died on the day of his release.

In addition to the prison dungeon, tourists are offered a hall and chambers from the time of Charles VII, with a fireplace and unique tapestries. Restoration of the castle of Loches began in 1806; it continues even now. Some parts of the ancient fortress are still in ruins.

7 Mail du Donjon 37600 Loches, France
chateau-loches.fr‎

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Address: France, city of Loches
Start of construction: year 1005
Completion of construction: around 1070
Donjon Height: 38 m
Main attractions: donjon, royal gate, royal house, Saint-Ur church, Agnes Sorel tomb, replica of Louis XI's cell, torture chamber
Coordinates: 47°7′37″N,0°59′54″E

It is impossible to say unequivocally which of the many castles in France is better, more beautiful and majestic. Each of them is fraught with something special that distinguishes it from the ancient architectural structures of this country: in the halls of one castle, high-ranking guests signed the most important documents, the walls of another more than once withstood the explosions of enemy nuclei, behind the walls of the third castle, in its dungeons the prisoners languished for one year.

Some castles were not attacked, but during the period of their prosperity, changes in the country certainly took place, which played a crucial role in the formation of modern France. In this material we will talk about one of the most beautiful, most ancient and, unfortunately, dilapidated castle of the Loire Valley - the medieval castle of Loches.

Donjon of Loches Castle from a bird's eye view

Loches Castle, whose construction period dates back to the 9th-10th centuries, is located in the valley of the longest river in France - the Loire and rises above its tributary Indre. This royal castle is famous all over the world for its massive quadrangular main tower, which is the oldest donjon in France that has survived to this day.

Loches Castle: history

The history of Losh Castle dates back to the time when the surrounding lands belonged to the Angevin Count Fulk I the Red. It was he who in the 9th century gave the order to begin the construction of the castle. But then only one wooden tower was built, the task of which was to protect the adjacent village, the connection with which was carried out with the help of underground tunnels laid in the rocks. After the death of Fulk I the Red, the fortress became the property of his successor Fulk Nerra, who was distinguished by particular cruelty and was constantly at odds with the legendary de Blois dynasty.

Donjon of the castle of Loches, east side

As soon as the territory of the Losh castle passed into the possession of Nerra, he immediately gives the order to erect a square stone fortress on the site of the wooden tower. It is worth noting that his obsession with building defensive donjons spread everywhere the count lived. But this is understandable, numerous wars and constant attacks by invaders forced Nerra to build fortifications on their lands. The construction of the stone keep, which was rather modest in size (only 38 meters high and 25 meters wide), began in 1005 and continued until 1070. The small dimensions of the main turret, which might have seemed like an “easy target” to the enemy, were in fact practically impregnable. The three-meter thickness of the walls (an impressive width for those times), loopholes and machicules (devices that allow you to vertically cover the enemy with a hail of projectiles or boiling tar) - all this forced the attackers to retreat, forgetting about their desire to capture the Loches castle.

Royal Gate of Loches Castle

Fulk Nerra dies in 1040, according to the will, the body of the count was buried with honors on the territory of the Loches castle. All the lands and possessions of Nerra passed to his successor, Geoffois Martel d "Anjou, who nevertheless managed to defeat the Count de Blois and calmly continue the construction of the Loches fortress. This was the heyday of the Loches castle, a period when everyone appeared on its territory with enviable regularity new and new fortifications.But the idyll and tranquility were only temporary.After the last of the Fulk counts married an English princess, a period began when the castle changed its owners almost every 50 years.They were Henry II Plantegenet, Richard the Lionheart, Jean Landless, Philip August.

In 1205, Loches Castle belonged to the French monarch Philip Augustus, who not only carried out restoration work in the building, but also ordered the construction of the “Old” residential building with towers and a sentinel belt in the northern part of the castle. In addition, on his orders, part of the castle was officially given over to a state prison.

Royal House, east facade of the building

By the way, it was in this place, centuries later, in 1429, after Orleans was taken, Joan of Arc urged the Dauphin Charles to ascend the throne of France in Reims.

In 1444, Agnes Sorel, the first mistress of King Charles VII, settled in the castle - “The Beautiful Lady”, a famous courtesan of the 15th century, famous for her love of luxury and .... charity. Having given the monarch three children, Agnes, feeling the approach of death, asked to bury her body within the walls of the church of Notre-Dame de Loches (today it is listed in tourist brochures called Saint-Ur), bequeathing 2 thousand golden ecu for burial. The clergy tried to object, and offered to bury the remains of the sinner in the walls of the castle. But in this case, the gold bequeathed by Agnes also passed to the castle. The monks were forced to abandon this idea, and recognized Agnes Sorel as a "Beautiful Lady", worthy of burial in the temple.

Royal House, southwest facade of the building

In the 15th century, a New Guard Tower, called Martello, and a hunting pavilion appeared near the Old residential building. By the way, already then the royal apartments included not only a donjon and a fortress wall of the XIII century, but also a watchtower of the XIV century, with buildings located next to it.

Many well-known prisoners managed to visit the prison of the French castle of Loches: the famous historian Philippe de Commen, who betrayed Louis XI; Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforzo, better known as the Duke of Moro (drawings and inscriptions made by the legendary prisoner remained on the walls of the cell from the time of his stay); Bishops Antoine de Chabanne and Jacques Guro, who participated in the conspiracy against Francis I, also left traces of their stay in prison - a carved altar and a polyptych depicting the Passion of the Lord.

Church of Saint-Ur

Loches Castle in France: our days

Nowadays, it is possible to get into the underground rooms of the Loches castle, although not all of them are open to tourists. It is proposed to inspect the torture chamber of the 15th century, which appeared on the orders of Charles VII, and in which the shackles used in the quartering of prisoners are still kept. In addition, the attention of tourists who find themselves in the walls of the castle of Loches is invited to get acquainted with the famous cell of Louis XI, in which Bishop Balu languished for more than 10 years. True, the cell is not genuine, but made by restorers to the smallest accuracy. In the hall of Charles VIII there is a tombstone of Agnes Sorel: the reclining figure of the “Beautiful Lady” with her hands folded in prayer and with angels bowing at her head. Portraits of Agnes are also placed in the same room.

You can get into the most ancient donjon of France in the castle of Loches through the narrow tower with embrasures located nearby. As many historians who conducted research in the castle are sure, once there was a ladder on this place, which allowed the inhabitants of the fortress to climb the tower.

Tomb of Agnes Sorel

All travelers who decide to climb the roof of the donjon will need to overcome 150 steps. The terrace offers a beautiful view of the entire territory of the Loches fortress: its ancient part with watchtowers and the new building, in which the style of the luxurious Renaissance is visible. It is from here that you can see that the impregnable walls of the castle, the length of which is just over 2 kilometers, still “protect” a small town with its streets and houses, a palace and a church.

In the XI century.

Loches Castle

Story

The donjon of the Loches castle is the oldest of all the medieval donjons of France that have survived to this day. Construction on this site was started back in the 9th century, when only a wooden tower was built, protecting the village adjacent to it and connected with it by underground tunnels laid in the rocks.

These lands belonged to the Anjou Count Fulk I the Red, but the history of the Loches fortress begins from the moment when his successor became the count, Fulk Nerra, a cruel conqueror who fought all his life for neighboring lands with the de Blois family. Fulk Nerra ordered to build a square stone fortress on this site. Constant wars forced Fulk to build a dozen fortresses on his lands to protect himself from invaders.

The construction of the donjon began in 1005 and continued until about 1070. With a relatively modest size (25 by 15 meters) and a 38-meter height, the donjon was practically impregnable, since the thickness of its walls reached three meters. As expected, loopholes were hollowed out in the walls, and machicules were located at the top, allowing the defenders to douse the enemy with a hail of projectiles.

Fulk Nerra died in 1040 and was buried with honors here, in the Loches castle.

From the 12th century

The Count's work was continued by his successor, Geoffrey Martel d'Anjou, Count of Anjou, Tours and Maine from 1129, who eventually succeeded in defeating the Counts de Blois at Saint-Martin-les-Beau, which allowed the Angevin family to settle down in the castle of Loches. New fortifications grew around the donjon, no one attacked these lands again. Changes occurred after the last of the Fulk family married the daughter of the king of England - their son, Henry Plantagenet, who later ascended the English throne (1154), was forced to oppose the French monarch Philip Augustus, who had seized most of the Plantagenet lands.

After the death of Henry II Plantagenet, his son, Richard, went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, but on his return he was captured by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, which allowed Philip Augustus to receive from Richard's brother, Jean Landless, many Plantagenet estates, including Losch was included. It took only 3 hours for Richard the Lionheart to regain his freedom in 1195 to regain Loches. Four years later, Richard died at Chinon, and his legitimate heir, Arthur, was meanly killed by Jean Landless, who continued to fight with Philip Augustus. In 1205, after a year of siege, the castle of Loches again passed into the possession of the French monarch, who made it a state prison.

15th century: Joan of Arc and Agnes Sorel

After the capture of Loches, Philip Augustus began to restore and strengthen what was left of the fortress, and subsequently, in the northern part of the castle, the Old residential building with towers and a sentinel belt was rebuilt, which became a landmark after the capture of Orleans in June 1429 - it is here that Jeanne d' Arc convinced Dauphin Charles to be crowned the French throne at Reims.

Shortly thereafter, Agnes Sorel, the "Beautiful Lady" settled in the castle, who in 1444 became the first favorite of King Charles VII. Agnes was famous for her charity and love for luxury, which was reflected in the state of the royal treasury. In 1450, sensing her impending death, Agnes Sorel asked to be buried in the beloved church of Notre-Dame de Loches, known today as Saint-Ur, to which she bequeathed 2,000 gold crowns. Some time after the funeral of Agnes Sorel, the clergy turned to the Dauphin Louis XI with a request to transfer the remains of the generally recognized sinner from the church to the castle, but after Louis's hint that in this case the bequeathed gold would "move" along with Agnes, the monks of the Capitulum were finally convinced of sinlessness "Beautiful lady".

The ashes of the favorite rested until the Revolution, when the soldiers of the battalions of Endra, who mistook the grave of Agnes for the grave of a saint, smashed her alabaster statue, desecrated the grave and scattered the remains. In addition, the rebels almost completely destroyed the Old Residential Building, the Anna Chapel, the prison cells and the Notre Dame Church itself. Later, the remains of the "Beautiful Lady" were transferred to one of the halls of the restored Old Building, a copy of the old alabaster statue was placed above the new tomb.

In the 15th century, several rooms, the New Tower and the Martello guard tower were added to the Old Residential Building. At that time, the royal apartments included a tower and a fortress wall of the 13th century, an ensemble of buildings with a watchtower of the 14th century and a hunting pavilion of the 15th century, built around the same time as the donjon leading to the Cordelier gate and to the tower of St. Anthony. The new wing houses the chapel of Anne of Brittany, the wife of two monarchs (first Charles VIII, then Louis XII).

Prison prisoners

During the existence of the prison, many high-ranking prisoners have been here. For example, Loches' prisoner was the famous historian Philippe de Commines, who betrayed Louis XI by siding with a group of conspirators, but was subsequently pardoned by Charles VIII.

The Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza (Moro), captured in the Battle of Novara, sat in the Martello tower. As a sign of respect for the noble origin of the captive, Louis XII gave him a cell with furniture and a fireplace, and also provided some "amenities", such as, for example, the company of a jester and masters. The walls painted by him and the elongated ceiling of the chamber, decorated with the image of a heraldic helmet, snakes and stars, as well as several wall inscriptions, remind of Moro's stay here.

Other "guests" of Loches were the bishops of Puy and Autun, Antoine de Chabanne and Jacques Guro, who took part in the conspiracy against Francis I. During the time of imprisonment, the churchmen made a small carved altar and a wall polyptych depicting the Passion of the Lord.

There is a legend connected with the dungeon of the castle: as if at one time the owner of the castle of Pontbrillant, having heard enough stories about mysterious underground rooms and caves under Loches (where rock was once mined), ordered to break open several ancient walled doors. After passing through many galleries dug into the rock, Pontbrillant found himself at a dead end in front of a closed room. Opening the door, he at first sharply recoiled, seeing a tall man in a sitting position, covering his head with his hands, but since he did not move, the owner of the castle came closer and saw that it was a corpse that turned into a mummy thanks to the dry air of the prison cell. In a few moments, the wind that rushed in from outside instantly reduced him to dust. In addition to the mysterious mummy, Pontbrillant also found a small chest containing neatly folded clothes. According to legend, the bones of the mysterious prisoner are kept in the church of Notre Dame.

Current state

Today, some underground rooms of the castle are open to the public - the most memorable of them is the torture chamber, equipped by Charles VII in the 15th century, which still contains the shackles with which the ankles of captives were fastened during quartering. You can also see a copy of the famous cell of Louis XI, in which Bishop Balu lived for a long 11 years.

The castle keep can only be reached through a narrow turret with embrasures, located at a height of three meters. Apparently, there used to be a special ladder here, allowing you to climb into the tower. At the entrance begins a stone spiral staircase, overcoming 150 steps of which you can get to the roof of the donjon, from which you can see the entire territory of the fortress. From the terrace you can admire the view of the fortress and the valley of the river Indra. Only from here you can see that the two-kilometer walls actually protect a real small town - with its streets, houses, a palace and a church, and distinguish the ancient part of the castle from the later one. The ancient and higher part was built during the era of wars, so four watchtowers are built into the wall, united by a common path at the base of the roof. The features of the Renaissance era are visible in the New Building

Loches Castle(Château de Loches) or the Royal Borough of Loches is located in the commune of Loches in the Loire Valley, department Indre and Loire. The main tower of Loches is a fortified castle in the heart of the city, which, in addition to the donjon, houses the royal palace and the collegiate church of Saint-Ur.

Castle, residence of Charles VII royal castle castle view of castle and church

The first mention of a fortification on the site of a modern castle was noted by Ursus Cahors in 491. Then a certain Saint-Ur built a mill near the monastery until his death in 508. In 742, the whole area was captured by the troops of Pepin and Carloman, who suppressed the uprising of Hunald, Duke of Aquitaine. At that time, the fortress was wiped off the face of the earth. Later, several owners changed on this territory ...
On the site of donjon Loches, which is the oldest surviving main tower in the country, at first only a wooden one was built in the 9th century to protect the nearby village. It was connected with the last underground passages carved into the rocks.
The land belonged to the Angevin count Fulk I the Red, who married Rosille de Loches, who brought him the Loches fortress as a dowry. Thus was the birth of the power of the family of the Dukes of Anjou. His successor, Count Fulke Nerra, fought for many years for neighboring lands with representatives of the family of Counts de Blois, and it was he who ordered the construction of a stone quadrangular fortress, a donjon, on the site of a wooden tower. Construction began in 1005 and continued until about 1070 (according to other sources, construction was carried out from 1013 and 1035). The donjon was 25 by 15 meters in size and reached 38 meters in height, the thickness of the walls was 3 meters, loopholes were made in them, at the top of the walls there were loopholes for shelling the assaulting enemy. For this era, he was virtually impregnable.
Fulca Nerra died in 1040 and was buried in the castle. The successor of his military policy, Count Geoffroy Martel d'Anjou, eventually defeated the representatives of the de Blois family at Saint-Martin-les-Beau, and this finally made it possible for the Nerra family to settle in the castle, which was surrounded by more and more new fortifications. Over time, the last representative of the Nerra family married the daughter of the English king, and their son Henry II Plantagenet (1133 - 1189) in 1154 reigned on the throne of England (the Plantagenet dynasty ruled from 1154 to 1394). He surrounded the donjon with fortress walls and moats. In his possession was a significant territory of France. Its king (since 1180) Philip II Augustus (Philip of the Crooked, August 21, 1165 - July 14, 1223) managed to capture the territories of the Plantagenets.
The son of Henry II King (since 1189) Richard I the Lionheart (September 8, 1157 - April 6, 1199) in 1199 went on the 3rd crusade. Then, upon returning from it, he was captured by the emperor (since 1191) of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry VI, who was at enmity with him (November 1165 - September 28, 1197) and was released by him only in February 1194 and the next month arrived in England. However, during his captivity, Philip Augustus received from Richard's brother, Prince John (Jean), a large amount of land, including the castle of Loches. On June 13, 1194, Richard, who landed in France, captured it in 3 hours. After the death of Richard, after a year-long siege, in 1205, Philip Augustus recaptured Loches and turned the castle into a state prison. The castle never took part in large-scale hostilities again. The French king reconstructed the fortress, and later the Old residential building was built in the northern part of it, which entered the history of France, when in June 1429 the famous maiden Jeanne d'Arc (January 6, 1412 - May 30, 1431) persuaded the Dauphin (heir) Charles (February 22, 1403 - July 22, 1461) to be crowned in Reims on July 17, 1429 under the name of Charles VII.
In 1444, the first favorite of Charles was Agnes (or Agnes) Sorel - "Lady of Beauty" (1421 or 1422 - February 9, 1450), who settled in the castle of Loches. She was very “reverent” about luxury and the royal treasury suffered from this. In 1450, she died and, at her request, was buried in the church of Notre Dame de Loches (now Saint-Ur), to which she bequeathed 2 thousand ecu in gold. Some time after the funeral, the monks turned to the heir to the French throne, Louis (July 3, 1423 - August 30, 1483, king from 1461) with a request to transfer her remains to the castle, but Louis replied that he would go there with her and gold. Thus, everything remains the same ...
In the 15th century, the New Tower and the Martello Guard Tower were added to the Old Building. Then the royal apartments consisted of a tower and a wall built in the 13th century, several buildings with a watchtower (14th century), a hunting lodge of the 15th century; around the same time, a donjon was erected, the road from which led to the tower of St. Anthony and the donjon in the area of ​​​​the Cordelier gate. There was also a chapel of Anne of Brittany (January 25, 1422 - January 1, 1514), the wife of two kings - Charles VIII (June 30, 1470 - April 7, 1498) and Louis XII (June 27, 1462 - January 1, 1515). Anna lived for some time in the castle of Loches while Charles fought in Italy.
From the 15th century, the castle was a military prison, many famous prisoners stayed in it: the famous historian Philippe de Commines (circa 1447 - October 18, 1511), a diplomat and author of memoirs; Duke of Milan Lodovico Maria Sforza (July 27, 1452 - May 27, 1508), nicknamed Moro, captured in the battle of Novara, painted the ceiling and walls (images of the coat of arms, helmet and inscriptions that have survived to this day) and died in Loches ; conspirators against King Francis I (September 12, 1494 - March 31, 1547, King of France from January 1, 1515) Puy and Autin Antoinde Chabanne and Jacques Guro, who made a mortise altar and a wall polyptych during their "stay" in the Locher castle ( several paintings consisting of many folds or planks, united by a single theme), depicting the Passion of the Lord.
During the war for the independence of the American colonies from Great Britain (1775 - 1783), France provided military and financial assistance to the Americans and the French king Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 - January 21, 1793) adapted Loches Castle as a prison for British prisoners.
After the French Revolution of 1789, the soldiers of some battalions of national volunteers and mobilized departments of Indre and Indre-et-Loire (they were formed in 1791-1793) thought that the tomb of Sorel was the tomb of a saint, defiled it by breaking the alabaster statue of Agnes and discarded her remains. In addition, the "revolutionary" soldiers plundered the castle and almost completely destroyed many of the buildings in it: the Old Residential Building, the Church of Notre Dame de Loches, the Anna Chapel and prison cells. Later, the remains of Agnes were collected and transferred to the premises of the Old Building, and a copy of the old statue was installed over the new resting place.
However, Loches Castle remained a military prison until 1926.
Over a very long time, the castle gradually fell into decay. In 1806, restoration work began, but even today some of its buildings lie in ruins. Only in 1862 the French Ministry of Culture included the castle in the list of historical monuments. The gate of the castle wall became a similar object by decree of July 12, 1886, the old royal palace - in 1889. historical monument according to the conclusion of August 8, 1962.
Today, several rooms can be visited by tourists - for example, a 15th-century torture chamber (the shackles used in quartering are kept here) and a copy of a cell from about the middle of the same century, a donjon (where only one entrance leads through a small tower with loopholes), with the roofs of which you can see the panorama of the entire fortress and the valley of the river Indre, as well as the streets, houses, the palace and the church of Sainte-Our of a small town.