Château de Loches

A masterpiece of the 11th century military architecture. The Loches Dungeon was built by Foulques Nerra around the year at the beginning of the 11th century. Up to 36 meters, it is one of the most imposing of the Romanesque era. It is also one of the best preserved in Europe today. This master tower, a defensive and residential structure, experienced several sieges during the territorial struggles between Capetian and Plantagenets (12th and13th centuries). From Royal Fortress, it became a state prison (from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century), where the political prisoners of high rank were locked up, then the county House of Arrest (nineteenth and twentieth centuries). The Loches Dungeon is located in the commune of Loches in the Indre-et-Loire département, in the centre-Val de Loire region, in the heart of the royal city. The Logis royal with its terraced frontage dominates the city and the Indre Valley. A jewel of architecture of the late Middle Ages (Gothic and flamboyant Gothic), the Logis Royal de Loches is a favorite residence of the Valois dynasty. Joan of Arc meets the future Charles VII. The favourite of King Agnès Sorel settled there, the Queen of France Anne de Bretagne stayed there.